Path of a Monk
by Monkeybandit2
Summary: AU. In a twist of events unseen by all but gods, the path of a young boy walks will not be in the shadow and unique stylings of the world of shinobi but the path of a more humble position... which isn't afraid to fight back when shoved.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is meant for entertainment purposes, I otherwise would not put a disclaimer here for Naruto and Warcraft... (Sniffs) I kind of wish I owned the latter though.**

Path of a monk

Chapter 1: To tell a beginning...

Unknown beach

"Bleh! Pfft!"

A drenched boy in waterlogged street urchin clothes spat out sand that became lodged in his mouth when he woke up with a start. He summoned up all the spit he could muster to flush out the grainy menace in his mouth and expelled what he could, but the taste as well as the grains of sand were persistently stuck to various locations of his mouth. With the dull roar of a collapsing wave, his attention on his current discomfort was momentarily forgotten in favor of observing his surroundings.

A dense jungle to his front, a non-descriptive beach all around him, and the sea behind his prone form. How did he get here? Where was here? Those questions as well as several others ran through the boys' mind... until the familiar taste of his predicament reared its ugly head.

"Pffth!"

He spat out another dirty wad of saliva and crawled towards the ocean. Cupping his hands together, he dove them into a oncoming splash of a diminutive wave lapping the shore and brought the salt water to his lips as a improvised mouthwash. For a brief moment, he actually compared which tasted worse: sand or salt water from the sea? Both were expelled with partial prejudice.

Retreating back to the more dry portion of the beach, he sat down, lied down and stared up at the sky as he tried to trace his steps to how he ended up to... wherever 'here' was.

He ran a hair through his dirtied blackened hair. He grimaced as he literally felt the grime that coated his hair to a different hair color. A reminder of where he had been...

Konoha, shinobi village of the Land of Fire. Home of heroes... and bigotry en masse. He never knew why they hated them, and why it was more or less a accepted part of life for most of them. Save for a couple of faces to break the mold, he would not hesitate to say the village was intolerant of him. For reasons unknown they only reserve hatred for him where a complete stranger was welcomed with open arms. A fact he spied on multiple times from the corners of buildings and the shadows of the urban jungle.

Every now and then, and especially around his birthday, he would be chased through the formerly quiet streets. He grinned a little. The last time very well looked like that, the very last time he would endure that.

He managed to get two blocks ahead through the mentally mapped out twists and turns that served him well ever since he could remember when he dove into a barrel. He grabbed the lid of it and his hiding spot and sealed himself in it as tight as he could. A fact he would've regretted later if he hadn't found the contents inside was apples.

He snickered as he heard the horde of people pass by being none the wiser to his hiding spot. But unfortunately he found that he locked himself inside the barrel when he tried to escape. Before he could cry, complain, or anything to indicate distress, he heard another set of voices approuching the barrel.

He panicked thinking that the mob returned. He palmed the walls of the barrel in fear when the barrel was hoisted with audible grunts and complaints about the barrel being heavy, but what confused him was the fact that they continued to trek across the unseen world instead of checking its contents. Was it not the mob chasing him?

Whatever the case was they settled the barrel on something mobile, a cart perhaps judging from the indication of smooth movement with the occasional stop.

He knew not how long he had been inside the barrel, just that the cart never seemed to stop for long periods of time save for once. Then the voices came back and he, or rather the barrel, was carried to something much larger. Whatever it was, there was a near constant dull roar that dully filtered through the barrel's wooden barrier in a matter of hours later. Until recently, or what at least what he remembered last, the tempo that became the norm changed without warning. Being caught in a storm wasn't a new experience for him. Being tossed around with a mix of devoured apples and whole apples was new however.

Now he was here. Staring up at a cloudless sky with the ocean gently reminding him it was there. The repetition of the waves was interrupted as another familiar sound and feeling made itself known.

The growl of a hungering stomach.

With a grunt, he seated himself upright with half hearted hopes that maybe some of the apples that he journeyed with. No such luck.

He grimaced once again as he looked behind him at the shadowy jungle behind him. Centuries of human instinct told him to stay away, it was a place of danger, he was safe where he was. But at the same time, it told him that if he was to find an ample chance, he needed to brave its depths... hypocrite.

Another growl of his stomach was the push needed to get himself up.

XVX

Unknown jungle

The kid kept looking over his shoulder at the mixture of bright and dark atmosphere that resided in the jungle as he devoured what might have been a pear. Overall he hadn't encountered anything more vicious than a mosquito and had no reason to be wary, be he had been wrong before. It was a rather twisted truth to those who have not walked his walk in life- fear was the greatest wisdom one can have. It may not lead to happiness, but it kept one alive when the environment was less than hospitable. He was especially not going to drop his guard now when he had no idea what awaited to be discovered.

"_Snap_!"

He may not know what Murphy's law was, but he was cursing it the moment he came face to face with a weird monkey-like creature armed with a snarl, and a makeshift club.

He bolted with a howling primate after him on all fours trying to catch up to the boy. Unfortunately for the child, Murphy's law was in full effect when the monkey's family members came in shrieking and armed with other crude weaponry.

If he was in Konoha he would've lost the monkey-things during the first ten minutes of their chase. But between the unfamiliar setting, their seemingly unnatural endurance, and the fact that he was running in a relatively straight line screaming like a loon, nothing was going in his favor.

He turned at a corner of a ruin that came seemingly out of nowhere in the thick jungle, a move that cost his determined pursuers half their group when they failed to account for the sudden change. The kid looked back and guffawed slightly at the pile up of ornery primates despite still being pursued by the remaining portion.

When he brought his attention back to his current course, his face was intimately greeted by... a jug?

Before he even knew it, the dirty haired child landed on his back with full force as his world went black.

XVX

Unidentified Hut

Blue eyes creaked open to a window pouring forth sun light hovering above his blanket covered legs. He blinked. A blanket?

Both of his hands gripped the apparent mattress beneath him. He was in a bed alright. He gave his surroundings a look. It was Spartan, but clean and dry. Everything inside the home was fairly large, as if to accommodate a fairly large man, or woman... it was certainly the size meant for that one set of people who made themselves larger sure liked to eat. Regardless, even the bed he was on was probably meant for whoever lived here.

The sound of dirt being shifted and leaves rustled were emanating from the most obvious portal into the home. Curiosity got the better of the child, and he crawled up to the window.

What he saw was... unusual for the kid. At first he thought it was a man hunched over something with his back to the kid, but the only bits of 'skin' that could be seen on the 'man', namely his shoulders and the back of his hat covered head, was covered in what appeared to be black fur.

The kid would've said it was some kind of animal if it wasn't for the fact the creature was adorned in the clothes of a farmer, and from what he could hear coming from the creature, a song being mumbled to itself.

With a heaving grunt, the creature grabs its own knee and stood up to its full height. It took off its hat to reveal short round black ears as it wiped a hand on its brow. It turned and faced the kid and did a double take as the kid gawked...

A gust of wind blew past between the kid and the apparent black and white bear-man with a braided string of hair running off from his chin.

_Silence_.

In what seemed like ages, the bear-man slowly waved at the child, unsure of what to do really. It was a mirrored situation and action for the boy peering out of the window.

The boy blinked, hard.

In the back of his mind, he knew the story of his own life, of Naruto Uzumaki, had taken a much odder turn.

**A/N: Inspired by the cinematic trailer of World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria that was released the day this was written (8/16/2012).**

**Had to write this before I lost the urge to.**

**_Spoiler_****: Yes, I will make Naruto into a monk featured in WoW. Unfortunately since I was not part of the beta, I am sorry to tell you that this story will be postponed till a few days after September 25th, the release date of MoP. I have no real clue how the Monk class is played, let alone the general attitude of the Pandaren race, hence the need to delay writing further till I conduct some research.**

**For what it's worth, sorry to leave you hanging like this, but it's better to have some kind of base instead of making up things left and right, right? If you're one of the readers of my Warhammer/Naruto story ****_Assassin_**** and try to use that argument against me, I already told you what I was using as a base at the beginning area of chapter three.**

**Until then, provided that none of the readers of this or my other works kills me...**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**


	2. Chapter 2

**This story is meant for entertainment purposes, I otherwise would not put a disclaimer here for Naruto and Warcraft... (Sniffs) I kind of wish I owned the latter though. For added protection, I also add Bleach though it is in name but actual character only. I own not those three.**

**For the sake of this chapter, please assume the use of quotation marks (' ') around a certain word or two are words that are not understood in Naruto's point of view in a conversation.**

Path of a monk

Chapter 2: To tell a path

Jade Temple Grounds, three weeks later

Life can take many a unexpected turn for anyone from babe, to peasant, to a monarch. Monks, scholars, and aspiring Brewmasters where no different.

Much to anyone's shock an outsider had managed, albeit unintentionally, to enter Pandaria from the outside world. From what they were able to gather, he was a stowaway on a ship from a faraway unknown land because he accidentally became trapped inside a barrel that was part of that ship's cargo, and that was only a recent breakthrough. Ever since a local farmer, Xi Shou, came back from his latest trip into the surrounding forests to improve his fledgling skills as a Brewmaster with a boy of the human race, as defined by the more adventurous of the Pandaren that left and returned to Pandaria on similar but far less drastic terms of the boy's arrival by right of knowledge and experience (i.e. they didn't wash up on the shore), the boy known as Naruto Uzumaki became a topic of interest throughout the region.

As for the reason why learning from the boy was going so slow, culture shock plain and simple. At least it was summed up as so from arriving to a strange land, meeting a different culture, and not to mention a new race of beings altogether that speak a entirely different set of languages. What was most curious to the people of Pandaria however, aside from the boy drifting to shore, was that Naruto Uzumaki neither spoke nor understood Common, the prime language of human race brought back to the mist enshrouded island by successful (i.e. living) world wise Brewmasters. He spoke not Dwarvern, Gnomish, Tuar-ahe, Troll, Gutterspeak, Thalassian, Goblin, Orcish, or Darnassian for the sake of being thorough when Common failed; Pandaren was already long crossed out before they tried to learn from the boy through the use of every language brought to Pandaria.

This boy spoke another language entirely, even though not masterfully from what the naked eye could tell; either because of his youth or the people he hailed from lacked a word for it had yet to be determined, not that they could understand him however. Thus the three weeks of slowly teaching and learning from the boy. At least there was some level of communication, albeit a cracked one.

XVX

"So... Pandaren... not... fight?" Asked a confused Naruto as he helped sweep up the stone path of one of the gates while observing a regiment of monks perform strikes, poses, and occasionally spared with one another alongside a graying old Pandaren man, Liu Young. "We... fight... only... to... 'defend,'" answered the ageing bear man slowly. As he and everyone else at the temple came to learn, Naruto was still learning how to speak and read the language Pandaren, thus the need to speak slowly to avoid confusion.

"'Defend?'" The boy asked. Liu stopped sweeping and picked up a fallen stick before reaching over to tug at Naruto's broom to seize the boy's attention. He watched on in bewilderment when Liu mock fought against him with the stick while keeping control of the boy's broom. Every time he 'attacked,' Naruto 'blocked.' A crude method, but the point was drove across to the blond haired boy. Liu flung the stick through the gate and returned to the chore at hand, unaware of the distracted gaze of Naruto on the Panderan monks nearby.

XVX

Meanwhile, inside the temple

Heads were shaking, mumbles were uttered, and the occasional voice was raised. Masters, elders, and scholars alike were gathered in the room of the Scrying Pool. While some were content with letting time takes its course, some were not in regards of Naruto Uzumaki. It was not out of malice, but a lack of patience to hear the end of a story, a story to which brought attention to everyone in the room at this moment.

Wise Mari, local Jinyu and keeper of the Scrying Pool, was convinced by a scholar wishing to know more about Naruto's land for the concept of another land unknown by many was far too tempting to ignore let alone make some kind of effort to put pen to paper about it. With him he brought the discarded ragged shirt Naruto first worn when he arrived, newer and fresher clothes were easily superior to the rags even if they were bare threads. The idea was simple, much like a past is carried by a person so too are they carried by objects; to an archeologist any object holds a history to tell tale of how a culture lived and breathed, to a mystic a more intimate tale was told.

Years of collected blood, sweat, tears from the eyes, tears from use, and hand sewn patch marks attached to the fabric wove a more interesting tale. The body was a honest being no matter the schooling: muscle built up when one worked or exercised often. Organs shut down from illness, age, or habits the body can no longer repel. Skin, or in some cases fur, grew lighter or darker from the sun depending on the season and how often one ventured outside. Blood, in a mystic's hands, can tell the story of one's life when in sufficient supply and was utilized correctly.

The scholar was joined in by a master of the martial arts, followed by another scholar... and a set of elders...

One by one, group by group, every curious member of the temple came to the Scrying Pool. Now the uncertain fate of Naruto Uzumaki was being called to order in the improvised meeting chamber.

"Enough!" The slam of a cane effectively silenced the latest roar of arguments that had dominated the chamber since they gathered. A handful groups have formed: the first consisting of those who wished to banish Naruto from their island to prevent an event that could antagonize the boy enough to release the power of the giant Fox-like creature sealed into him whether by will or by accident; there was no telling what could happen given the darkness that lurked beneath their lands.

A second group of those who wished to keep Naruto, in essence, trapped in a gilded cage as it were by duping the child to either be a farmer or a scholar of some kind; "How often do they fight anything?" was their defense to those who asked why.

A third went against their codes of peace and tranquility. They wished for the boy's death to make certain no tragic event, sans the boy's demise, happened. Though small in number, they refused to be shouted down when they could fight.

A fourth faction however was to be heard. "Each idea has merit. But it is full of holes, each and every one of them!" The elder Pandaren signified by a hunched back and a beard and mustache, both much too gray with age rumbled from atop the steps to the pool; Mari standing not too far. He first turned to a scholarly Pandaren dressed in blue robes with red trimming with a monocle covering one eye. "True we could banish him. But we could in fact encourage what we fear could happen. Who is to say that in the throes of confusion and depression he couldn't accidentally release the being trapped within him, which he himself does not seem to know of?" The Scholar pursed his lips.

The elder turned to a woman suggesting the life of peace, dressed similar to the first Pandaren to be addressed yet the robes where white with green trimming and lacking the monocle. "Though the idea is ideal, there is no guarantee that he would not be subject to violence whether he finds it or it finds him. The chaos of battle and his lack of experience could contribute to a disaster." The woman grimaced.

Then he turned the advocate of the last group. A burley warrior of a Pandaren decked in reddened plate armor with strips of purple adorning the pauldrons and gauntlets in slanted lines. "Effectively ending his life could indeed end a threat, but could very well pose as another as the balance would be disrupted in an act of fear."

He effectively ignored the scowl of the warrior when he shuffled around to peer at the frozen image of a snarling giant of a fox with nine tails being sealed in a baby Naruto. "Overall we do not know much of this magic capable of sealing such a being inside a infant. What we do know that at least a small measure of its power is constantly leaked out to act as a means to recover from any injury much faster than anyone or anything we have seen or recorded throughout time." A small murmur of agreement echoed through the room.

"What we also do not know is if he is even capable of using this beings power for anything other than healing himself, even then it seems he has no conscious effort of the act. As real as the possibility of him using this being's power, it could also apply to the possibility that he cannot use it to anything further than recovery. But where there is power, there is always someone or something that will seek it once they know of it. So I propose the following..."

He turned around to show the conviction of his proposal etched into the recesses of his wrinkled face and brow. "We train him in the martial arts. Should it be true that he can access the power of the Fox sealed inside him, then he would need training to avoid causing harm to himself and those around him."

Gasps and the exchanging of opinions were heard from the surprised scholars of the congregation. Nods and whisperings of approval rose up from the elderly and sagely. Mutterings of acceptance, begrudging approvals, and snarls of dissent emerged from the militaristic members.

"Could you please elaborate your thoughts behind this proposed act, Master Yamamoto?" One of the scholars asked from the back. Earning a glance from the elderly Pandaren.

"As I have said, there is no guarantee that the boy will or will not be subject to battle at some point in his life that has far greater stakes on the line then what he has already went through. And there is no guarantee that there is or isn't someone interested in the power of the Fox sealed within the boy as it was proven on the day of his birth. If we are to ensure that our home, our people, our entire planet has a fighting chance to survive when fate moves to challenge Naruto Uzumaki, then he must be prepared to defend himself against all enemies. Be they mortal beings, gods, or even himself. If he fails because we are afraid to offer him a means to fend off both his enemies and his emotions when it matters, then the repercussions could be far greater than we could imagine."

"What if he himself is the threat that you are suggesting that we train to fight off originally?" Someone else asked.

"Then it is a mistake we must own up to should it happen," he solemnly said.

The chamber was once again was lighten up with opinions, agreements, and disagreements.

XVX

Xi Shou's home, seven-thirty-nine p.m.

"Gah!" Naruto clutched his hand as his recently made sparring dummy just won out in another punching match.

Xi Shou, the Pandaren who saved Naruto from a horde of Hozen after unintentionally knocking the boy out with a outstretched jug hanging out from a staff resting on the man's shoulder, was originally a farmer of tea leaves. Over the years he had taken a shine to martial arts to fend off Virmen attacks on his fields, and on occasion Hozen when their families gotten too large to support with their usual hunting grounds. But as time passed and he learned more and more, he had taken a shine to other things. Namely the outside world. The chief reason he hadn't left the island yet was to master the basics of the most common class of Pandaren to ever leave and come back alive; the monk path of the Brewmaster. Though actually crafting drinks wasn't a requirement, it was a favorite past time, aside from drinking said brews, of people who went along this path.

Subsequently, he was staying behind to learn how to craft potent brews himself; if he was going to undoubtedly suffer hardship, he wasn't going to suffer while sober! A motto often found amongst dwarvern culture oddly enough.

As a consequence of a half minded mistake, he couldn't stay away his home for long periods of time yet when he planted a new crop of leaves; his one solace was he had yet to make a brew he could confidently carry with him as he traveled. Then Naruto came along.

The Pandaren had yet to be spotted in the northern half of the Jade Forest since last week, a personal record. The boy was slightly miffed by that, but it was outstandingly better than his time in Konoha. So far the only real complaint the child had was the same reason Xi learned to fight, Virmen attacks. A problem often solved with the help of a shovel and the occasional militia patrol.

Naruto glowered at the training dummy. The Virmen weren't the reason for its construction. When Naruto observed the Pandaren monks he couldn't help but wonder to himself, "Would my life be better if I can defend myself?"

At least he was less likely to be chased by smaller groups.

He snapped out of his musings when the soft crunching of dirt originated from the front of Xi's home. Naruto hurried over to the front while still clutching his hand and slide to a stop when he located the unexpected visitor, the seemingly venerated martial arts master he only saw from afar when he went to the temple grounds for learning, Genryūsai Yamamoto.

He gave the boy a curt but polite bow...

**A/N: Alright, sort of broke my promise not to write anything till I played Mists of Pandaria for a few days, but everyone who has taken the time to write a review basically prompted me to write something. In a way it's my promise to continue and complete this story unlike the other Warcraft/Naruto stories. No offense guys, but if you're reading this Kiue Jin, PLEASE UPDATE YOUR WORK! It's cruel and unusual punishment to make us wait man!**

**I will not go into any action scenes or anything requiring further knowledge of MoP without actually playing the game itself, my current knowledge set comes from WoW Wiki and a little bit from ****_Mashot Tito_****'s review so no real quality craftsman ship is to be expected until a few days after September 25th.**

**Before you start criticizing my divulgence into Naruto's path by mystic means, my reasoning came from a mix between the show ****_Bones_**** and the game ****_Assassin's Creed_****. Essentially blood and the body tell tales long masked over by flesh and time, for example in a ****_Bones_**** episode involving a Hispanic gang, Dr. Brenan of the show identified that a long since deceased old man died not from a gunshot wound but from cancer. In ****_Assassin's Creed_****, essentially any living person can learn of, and even be taught by through living their lives, their genealogical ancestor's lives and secrets with the aid of a machine known as the Animus which searches through memories in the very DNA of the user.**

**Ol' Yamamoto from Bleach. Admittedly I wasn't thinking of him when I wrote about the scene in the Temple of the Jade Serpent, but the more I wrote the more my mind drifted off and allowed him to literally speak in the dialogue. Wee bit crazy but meh... If you would all be so kind, imagine Bleach Yamamoto as a Pandaren monk who's hair hadn't gone white yet.**

**_Spoiler:_**** If I post another chapter before or maybe a day or two after Sept. 25, please assume it's a filler chapter.**

**Will officially continue after the 25th!**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**


	3. Filler! (Haiku)

**This story is meant for entertainment purposes, I otherwise would not put a disclaimer here for Naruto, Bleach (characters, strictly Naruto/Warcraft) and Warcraft... (Sniffs) I kind of wish I owned the latter though.**

**Filler chapter and more or less driveling.**

**For the record, I am no expert about the following poetry type... Subjective to change.**

Path of a monk

Filler chapter: To tell a haiku, To tell a hint

_Haiku,_

_ odd training it is_

_Master Yamamoto, why?_

_-Naruto Uzumaki, Monk-in-training, age eleven._

XVX

_Peace_

_With it we think_

_With it we learn_

_With it we know,_

_snack thief Naruto._

_-Mushi Shion, Monk-in-training, age fourteen._

XVX

_Regret_

_more destructive than I,_

_time_

_passes by slowly._

_-Tsunade Senju, Fifth Hokage, age fifty-one_

XVX

_Haiku,_

_not my favorite activity,_

_three years running._

_-Naruto Uzumaki, Monk-in-training, age fourteen._

XVX

_Leaves change,_

_blossoms fall_

_Another washes up to shore,_

_second one to come._

_-_ _Genryūsai Yamamoto, Shado-Master, age seventy-nine._

XVX

_The world,_

_I have been stricken by wanderlust_

_I come for you world._

_-Naruto, Monk, age eighteen._

XVX

_New world,_

_new hopes abound_

_New things to learn,_

_haiku among them_

_Right Naruto?_

_-Nul Sapheer, huntress, age thirty-one._

XVX

_For lord,_

_I fight_

_Revenge,_

_I fight_

_For Allies,_

_I fight_

_Reason?_

_FIGHTING!_

_-Kenpachi Zaraki, Death Knight, age unknown._

XVX

_Plans upon plans,_

_failure_

_Where are you,_

_Fox and Cat?_

_-"Tobi," Akatsuki shinobi, age unknown._

XVX

_Strange land, strange creatures_

_Home is far away,_

_no rapping at least._

_-Yugito Nii, Cloud kunoichi, age twenty-eight._

XVX

_Elemental nations,_

_unknown land to them_

_Friendly company_

_Cool._

_-Samui, Cloud kunoichi, age twenty-five._

**To Honest Lunar Raven: Your opinion is your own as much as my opinion is my own, but you somewhat missed the devil in the details in my last chapter.**

**Notice:**** Now hosting a poll to introduce other Bleach characters into the story, admittedly inspired when I thought more and more about the fact I added Yamamoto into the story. Options consist of characters, albeit modified, I admit having some interest in having in the story but not enough without some kind of motivation (i.e. you readers wanting them in it for at least some time in it).**

**There is a "Other" option for characters I have not considered, but you need to send me a PM in order to have some measure of a guarantee to having that character in it, and even then there must be a adequate number of votes in that department in both the option and name.**

**Quick rundown of the "Other" option: Select, send a PM with the character's name, 5% votes, most named "other character."**

**Voting will close at September 25, 2012.**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**


	4. Filler! (Journal)

**This story is meant for entertainment purposes, I otherwise would not put a disclaimer here for Naruto, Bleach (characters, strictly Naruto/Warcraft) and Warcraft... (Sniffs) I kind of wish I owned the latter though.**

**Filler chapter and more or less driveling.**

**I would also like to note that the filler chapters to this story is a mix between this stories' canon and prattling. Enjoy or hate, the choice is yours.**

Path of a monk

Filler chapter: To tell a Kage's musings

Tsunade Senju's personal journal

_-October twelfth, five-hundred-eighty-two A.D._

_Even as I sit here now I feel like leaving this village once again despite my pledge to the Fifth Hokage. My mind just replays every failure I have performed after foolish decision followed by foolish decision._

_I can still remember the day Jiriaya came into that bar and virtually dragged me back to the village kicking and screaming. At one point I overpowered him and left him to rot in a ditch, yet as my predictable luck would have it he came back with a vengeance._

_In some ways he proves to be far more cruel than loving as he claims to be when the situation happens upon him. I have a living relative._

_I had a relative..._

_I wonder if there is a word to describe a familial relationship between two distant family members who share a common grandmother... would it matter?_

_Believing I had someone, anyone, to call someone family that could somehow relieve the pain I won't let go of I returned to Konoha; our roles were in reverse as to who dragged who. That was a year ago._

_Naruto Namakaze/Uzumaki, missing since April Ninth over eight years ago. In a rage after discovering this I hunted down Jiriaya who already accepted the punishment to come at the barren field of training ground twenty-four. "I said you left someone behind, not that he was still here." That was his one defense when I accused him._

_I wonder, if he is still alive, would I meet a shinobi? A sailor? A scoundrel? A farmer?_

_Would I meet someone who wished me pain on behalf of this village that owes him much? Would he want any kind of association with anything of this village?_

_I wouldn't blame him if he'd sooner jump off a cliff._

_I do however wish I could've met him..._

_-Tsunade, Hokage, age fifty-two_

XVX

_-March fifteenth, five-hundred-eighty-three A.D._

_Duty compelled me to step out of the office again. Sasuke Uchiha, "survivor of the Uchiha clan," had gone rogue and killed his teammate Sai Tojo in the process of retrieving him. The pursuit squad suffered other life threatening injuries, yet they have survived nonetheless by my hand, my apprentices, and the hands of the other doctors called to duty._

_I invoked my power as the Hokage in order to place the boy as a rogue shinobi; B-Rank with affiliation with Orochimaru more as a precautionary means to protect or at least warn those who seek his head, other information was added to better prepare his hunters such as his taught skills and the addition of Orochimaru's apparent pet project best known as a Cursed Seal. The long short of a Cursed Seals' ability was to enhance the wearer's power and abilities including the ability to alter their forms to take on a more demonic appearance according to the pursuit team. Anko, more or less our resident expert on the seal due to being a guinea pig for my former teammate, gave us what details she could about the subject before we placed a counter seal; it remains to be seen if it will at least lower her burden._

_Jiriaya's visits have been less frequent lately. I am both loving and hating it. On one hand I no longer see or hear of him often, where the ghosts of my depression stay where they are thanks to the peace. On the other I lack a target for my frustrations. Of all the shinobi Konoha has to offer, Jiriaya is the most durable; no one can truly withstand the wrath I bring forth upon them aside from what remains of my team in the days of my youth._

XVX

_-August eight, five-hundred-eighty-three A.D._

_A blunder from Kumo came rumbling in. The container of the Two-Tailed Cat went missing during a sea mission. Whether or not Akatsuki are involved remains to be seen._

_I wonder, could Naruto have been taken by them years ago? Probably not. Yet S-Ranked rogue shinobi are not none solely for their strength in direct battle if they are worth their salt. A child left on their own is easy pickings even for a Genin._

_The blunder actually makes me think however, how big is our world? No one has made an effort to learn what lies beyond our home during our tenuous time of peace._

_If I were to leave and find other lands, other people, would I be at peace? Would I live the rest of my life as a hermit? Here's a even more bizarre thought, would I find my missing family?_

_I know... it's a pathetic wish. Yet my mind continues to hope and fear the idea that we would meet._

_-Tsunade, Hokage, age fifty-three._

XVX

_-June twenty-third, five-hundred-eighty-four A.D._

_Sakura's training seems to be doing fine according to Shizune. I remember the day she came into my office requesting to be trained by me to, quote, "grow stronger." I delegated the position of teaching to Shizune._

_I just can't muster up the ability to care about teaching anyone._

_I wonder, has the idiot found himself a new apprentice? Doubtful. I half suspect he will not teach anyone other than the boy he abandoned. It was poetic in a way, we are the same though our reasons were different. I left Konoha in a blinding pain and made no effort to learn what happened to it. He did it to "check up" on his spy network and his so called "research." In the end we both pursued what only interested us._

_Out of the two of us, who is the greater fool?_

XVX

_-January seventeenth, five-hundred-eighty-six A.D._

_He claims himself to be Madara Uchiha himself yet he won't remove his mask. That is what everyone said about the man when he appeared in the summit. I guess I should be thankful that I didn't oppose Danzo when he 'requested' to take my place. A smirk still tugs at my lips as the knowledge of the decrepit bloodsplicer(*) died when the summit was attacked continues to warm me. Unfortunately now we are at war._

_In a somewhat blessed turn of events the Raikage known by the letter A has taken command of the united shinobi forces. I probably won't write into this as much for awhile._

_Tsunade, Hokage, age fifty-five_

XVX

_-March third, five-hundred-eighty-six A.D._

_An interesting development happened today, some of the members of what remains of Akatsuki joined us. Kisame Hoshigaki, Itachi Uchiha, and Konan Shi._

_Though sketchy, apparently there has been a division in the ranks between the official leader and what seemed to be the unofficial leader of Akatsuki, Nagato Uzumaki and "Tobi," aka 'Madara Uchiha.'_

_For Itachi, he joined the organization on behest of Jiriaya to act as his eyes and ears when he 'slaughtered' his clan under orders of the council during Hiruzen's time. Whether the old goat knew it or not remains to be seen._

_Kisame allegedly joined under the pretenses of a forced peace after learning the leader of the now broken Seven Swordsman was selling Intel to opposing villages for profit. A dark but rather unexpected good goal to strive for. When I look at the Elemental Nations as a whole I cannot help but occasionally wonder if such an idea is a good thing or not._

_Konan, a rather recluse young woman, had similar ideals to Kisame. "Akatsuki's goal," according to her, "Was to deprive everyone from using the Bijuu as weapons of war. With the power of the Bijuu under our command no nation would dare cross us should we demand for their fighting to stop." Slightly foolish, but I can understand..._

_'Madara' had other ideas for the Bijuu it seems. Kakuzu and Hidan's fate is unknown. Deidara died in the infighting. Zetsu is still amongst the living. Sasori was dead long before the fighting started, he was killed in action when the Kazekage was kidnapped for his Bijuu. Nagato died in his confrontation with 'Madara' and his body was destroyed in lieu of a funeral._

_All that remains of Akatsuki now is 'Madara,' Kabuto Yakushi for some reason, Zetsu, and sadly for Itachi, Sasuke Uchiha._

_Despite the loss in manpower the war continues._

_I wonder, did Jiriaya abandon Nagato too just he did Naruto?_

XVX

_-August seventh, five-hundred-eighty-eight A.D._

_Popular belief now is that Naruto is alive somewhere as well as Yugito Nii._

_No one truly know how Bijuu work, just that if and when they die, host or no host, they always reform somewhere else. The general hypothesis regarding the time when they reform is that it takes a year per tail for the Bijuu in question to reform; if Naruto or Yugito was indeed dead, then the Nine-Tailed Fox and/or the Two-Tailed Cat should've reformed by now._

_It's almost funny when I consider how this idea that they are, it was the capture of the resurrected rogue Cloud shinobi known widely as the Gold and Silver Brothers: Kinkaku and Ginkaku. Even I heard of them thought more by their odious reputation they earned when they attacked my Granduncle when he was in Kumo during a time of peace. But this is what I didn't know: they once sought to capture the Nine-Tails under Kumo when it was without host once and survived despite failing. According to rumor, backed up by evidence of actually using the Fox's power and later 'Madara's' kidnapping of the Brothers, the Brothers were swallowed whole and were forced to survive by eating the stomach lining of the Fox's stomach; disgusting but what else could explain their use of its chakra?_

_Unfortunately we lost two of our, Kumo specifically, shinobi; Samui and her brother Atsui were trapped in the a relic from the time the Sage of Six Paths walked among us, Benihisago; a tool used to seal people inside its ceramic confines. Allegedly no one sealed in it can ever escape with or without help, doubtful if 'Madara' had stolen it after the Brothers were sealed in it as well. Whether or not the missing Cloud shinobi are alive or not remains a mystery however since the gourd has yet to be recovered._

_I'm getting off track; chase was given to 'Madara' and we discovered something in his hubris. Believing his army of clones could forestall his pursuit team, which it did for a time, he summoned a statue with demonic features, the Gedō Mazō, and tried to extract the Brothers before he was beset by the team he arrogantly ignored. What was most interesting however was a feature noted peculiarity about the statue, for each Bijuu sealed in it a eye was opened to reveal to Bijuu's name... It had three eyes closed._

_We all know Killer B is alive and well, but the fact there are two Bijuu unaccounted for brings me... hope? I guess that is it._

_None of us know if the Brother's ability to use the Fox chakra would be sufficient to continue 'Madara's' endeavors._

_Tsunade, Hokage, age fifty-eight_

XVX

_-December fourth, five-hundred-eighty-eight A.D._

_The war is winding down now. 'Madara' has been revealed to be a sham when Kabuto resurrected the real one for a time. We still do not know 'Tobi's' real name, if he has one, but that doesn't matter in the long run._

_To quote the Nara clan, dealing with the real Madara was "troublesome" down to its very core. I'd somewhat hate to think what facing him back when he was in his prime was like, though it may have been easier if Madara's body wasn't capable of using my family's most reputed bloodline, the wood release techniques._

_As testament to the ferocity of the battle, I am writing this in a hospital bed right next to the one who barely managed survive in finishing off my grandfather's rival, Killer B..._

_Frankly I kind of wish I was deafened by the battle. He's close enough to be heard yet far enough where I can't reach him just yet to break his jaw to stop the rapping._

_I have a newfound respect for A. And to a lesser extent the entire village of Kumo._

_Someone please kill me before he wakes up from the drug induced nap..._

XVX

_-September ninth, five-hundred-ninety-two A.D._

_I had to see the devastation to believe it. But days before, two or three if one counted the delay of the messenger, the northwestern region of our continent was bathed in a tsunami of titanic proportions. The few survivors claim it was preceded by the roar of some kind of beast venting its fury, whether it is true or not is moot at this point._

_Like they were following it, creatures both human and non landed shortly after bringing forth strange languages, weapons, chakra, and the one thing we were all familiar with at some point even before 'Tobi' came, war._

_To what point we do not know, but it seems they are pushed by some kind of religious fervor brought forth by the more cruel and daunting leaders as they tear up the land for minerals and... something else._

_We have reports of many forge camps being constructed to produce collars and chains of some kind not meant for people but beings that look like they embody the elements themselves. When placed on them they seem to become obedient... and as vicious as these... cultists._

_The alliance is being reformed as we speak to fend off this threat. We can only hope 'Tobi' isn't involve or becomes involved in this since he went into hiding. Dealing with him is bad enough. Once again my journal, you may not find my pen taken to you._

_Tsunade, Hokage, age sixty-two._

**A/N: The result of a bored mind and something I wasn't really planning to do in the story, mention the goings on of the Elemental Nations. But to be honest I am including them in the story but not heavily going into their altered history other than snippets unless I'm operating under a whim. And in what I failed to mention to Honest Lunar Raven, I needed a reason for them to become involved.**

**It just seemed silly not to introduce a reason in my mind. Sure Naruto could become a monk at his own leisure if I did go on the path of him integrating into Pandaren society, but it's quite possible that he could've been a simply farmer or at best something akin to a militia man since he has less of a drive to be the best in Pandaria than he does under the constant pressure of Konoha. With that in mind, what better to get Naruto to become a monk other than reasoning from a seasoned mind like Yamamoto?**

**For the Elemental Nations, they don't have much motivation to explore their known boundaries, at least that's the way I see it. What motivation would they need other than a unprovoked attack on them by none other than our favorite little cult?**

**(*) Bloodsplicer is a term found in ****_NARUTO: DARK HEART_**** by ****_coso_**** for people like Orochimaru and Danzo who experiment on bloodlines, fairly well written and I do wish he updated it before I die of old age. Star Wars (movie)/Naruto type story, I do suggest reading it if you do not mind Naruto being anything other than a hero.**

**As for their calendar, I do not recall specifically if either Azeroth as a whole let alone the Elemental Nation operate by a specific time line let alone calendar, in other words actually recorded their years. (i.e. several nations world wide used differing calendars till the Christian calendar became widely accepted. A.D. in this stories' case is after the Sage died.)**

**Hope you enjoyed this, hope I didn't confuse you too much, and the poll is still active till the evening of Sept. 25th, 2012. (Please vote!)**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**


	5. Filler! (Another Haiku)

**This story is meant for entertainment purposes, I otherwise would not put a disclaimer here for Naruto, Bleach (characters, strictly Naruto/Warcraft) and Warcraft... (Sniffs) I kind of wish I owned the latter though.**

**Filler chapter and more or less driveling.**

**I would also like to note that the filler chapters to this story is a mix between this stories' canon and prattling. Enjoy or hate, the choice is yours. Still not a master of any kind of poetry.**

Path of a monk

Filler chapter: To tell a second haiku, To tell of others

_Unspoiled land_

_Deathwing commands!_

_The world to be ruined._

_-Twilight Cultist, age unknown._

XVX

_Interesting_

_Strange you are_

_But interesting all the same,_

_My friend._

_-Tia Harribel, Death Knight, age unknown._

XVX

_Green one,_

_You disturb me greatly._

_-Xi Shou, Monk, age thirty-seven._

XVX

_To defend_

_Take the blows others cannot_

_To fight_

_Deal harsher blows than them._

_-Ichigo Kurosaki, Paladin, age seventeen._

XVX

_Honorable_

_He fights not for the light_

_He fights for beliefs and comrades._

_-Tirion Fordring, Paladin, age sixty-four._

XVX

_Goblins_

_Greedy bastards_

_Good PR agents though_

_Icha-Icha for all!_

_-Jiraiya Muyo, Leaf Shinobi, age sixty-two._

XVX

_Icha-Icha..._

_I prefer Haiku_

_Serves a good purpose._

_-Naruto, Monk, age twenty-two._

XVX

_Icha-Icha..._

_GENIUS!_

_-Frazz Nutbomb, Steamwheedle PR agent, age thirty-two._

XVX

_Fighting spirit,_

_The path to peace_

_Lighten by Youth!_

_-Rock Lee, Leaf shinobi, age twenty-two._

XVX

_Training_

_Diligence_

_Honor_

_Respect_

_Peace_

_Balance_

_Home_

_Youth!_

_-Might Guy, Leaf shinobi, age thirty-five._

XVX

_Enchantment_

_Skills grow stronger_

_Fight!_

_-Tenten Bell, Leaf kunoichi, age twenty-two._

XVX

_Unforeseen fate_

_Fist to the face,_

_Ow..._

_-Neji Hyuga, Leaf shinobi, age twenty-three._

XVX

_Master,_

_I thank you_

_From the heart._

_-Retsu Unohana, Monk-in-training, age thirty._

XVX

_Tag!_

_Your it_

_Catch me!_

_-Yoruichi Shihoin, Rogue, age twenty-six._

XVX

_Let's drink!_

_Stay with me_

_My adorable friend!_

_-Rangiku Matsumoto, Hunter, age twenty-five._

XVX

_Sudden change_

_Swift and Merciless_

_New life_

_Can I achieve?_

_-Sajin Komamura, Warrior, age forty._

XVX

_Vengeance,_

_I will get you_

_ITACHI!_

_-Sasuke Uchiha, Akatsuki shinobi, age twenty-two._

XVX

_Shorty_

_Call me that_

_You will pay._

_-Toshiro Hitsuguya, Mage, age thirty-four._

XVX

_A picnic!_

_Life is good!_

_Join us please!_

_-Orihime Inoue, Priest, age seventeen._

XVX

_Ichigo!_

_With you_

_I am!_

_-Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, Death Knight, age unknown._

XVX

_Solitude,_

_We had it_

_The world changed._

_-Mushi Shion, Shado-Master, age twenty-five._

XVX

_Goblins,_

_Engineering masters_

_They are not._

_-Kukaku Shiba, Warrior, age twenty-six._

XVX

_Five more minutes._

_-Coyote Starrk, Hunter, age thirty-two._

XVX

_Despair_

_You will know it._

_-Ulquiorra Cifer, Death Knight, age unknown._

XVX

_WAKE UP!_

_-Lilynette Gingerbuck, Mage, age fourteen._

XVX

_Justice_

_What is it?_

_-Kaname Tosen, Paladin, age twenty-eight._

XVX

_Do not rush_

_Enjoy life_

_Sit back_

_Breath_

_Enjoy the petals_

_And the drinks._

_-Shunsui Kyroraku, Shado-Master, age fifty._

XVX

_Time_

_It comes and goes_

_Weather it,_

_We will._

_-"Chad," Shaman, age eighteen._

XVX

_Go Kenny!_

_Fight!_

_Fight!_

_Fight!_

_-Yachiru Kusajishi, Death Knight, age unknown._

XVX

_Naruto Uzumaki,_

_Despise you._

_-Sui-Feng, Rogue, age twenty._

**A/N: Admittedly I wanted to do a haiku with Deathwing, but it both felt too easy and ridiculous. Sasuke was one thing, a eight-million ton rageaholic is another matter onto itself. If anything he might write a haiku then tear it to shreds a half second later.**

**Real chapters soon to follow! Will most likely be the week after this post however for I have mid-terms to deal with. That and play the game so I can dish out Monk content!**

**May this haiku and list of voted/selected characters tide you over till the next post.**

**Provided that I do not go insane first...**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**


	6. Chapter 3

**This story is meant for entertainment purposes, I otherwise would not put a disclaimer here for Naruto and Warcraft... (Sniffs) I kind of wish I owned the latter though. For added protection, I also add Bleach though it is in name actual universe only. I own not those three.**

Path of a monk

Chapter 3: To tell an advance

Grizzly Hills

There are two philosophies most often practiced en masse. Tushei is often regarded as the path of enlightenment through training, meditation, and conviction of morals. Huojin is often described as the more brutish approach where action counts more than words or thought when something highly valued such as a village was endangered. Needless to say there are times when followers of these lines of thoughts are at odds with one another when the situation rears its head.

But they are not the only philosophies the Pandaren follow; everyone had a different opinion.

The Wanderer's Way was one such philosophy. When he sat down and thought about it, he couldn't help but wonder about the implications and machinations of its purpose.

Was its purpose meant to encourage anyone who would listen to see the world? Make a conclusion about it? Provide some kind of good, or likewise evil, one way or another as they went about the land? Or perhaps, if he was so bold, it was an elaborate excuse just to get out and stay out of wherever home was...

He smirked. Slowly it turned into a grin accompanied by a chuckle. Soon it became raucous laughter that easily drew the attention of his company, a woman in a long dark blue robe with violet cuffs and raven hair flowing underneath it, to his prone form on the ground.

"Or could it be that it was to make one think?" He thought as he laughed. Still, he knew a few people who would love stay out of the house...

"I take it you found something amusing Master Naruto?" A soft lilting voice spoke up. He had to suppress a groan as his eyes were screwed shut. Facts were facts, but the idea of him being called "Master" for any reason made him cringe. So far only three people in the world as he knew it can get away with it and the only one present... was his, for the lack of a better word, apprentice Retsu Unohana. On a side note it was really two people depending on the use of the word "Master."

All attempts to dissuade her from calling him that have utterly failed even before some of his arguments even left his lips.

She was evil like that.

"Yep."

A pleasant hum of acceptance emanated from Retsu as she took a sip of tea.

Naruto blew out a wisp of air as he looked up at the pale blue sky of Northrend from his, relatively, favorite region for relaxation. Hardly anyone bothered anyone outside of the bay and logging camps, unless the unceasing war of Furbolgs inhabiting the region was to be counted. 'Combined' efforts of the Alliance and the Horde had quashed the burgeoning might of the Vrykul, likewise of the Wolf Cult born from the trappers who long inhabited the region before either side came.

The Borean Tundra was a mishmash of problems ranging from Scourge, barely restrained soldiers aiming to suffocate the other with their dying breath, fanatics over either defending or killing the wildlife, and of course the Blue Dragonflight though he was given to understand Malygos was facing the brunt end of a small army of adventurers. Couldn't happen to a nicer fellow; breaking the wills of others to suit one's end was never smiled upon.

The Howling Fjord was too battle centric with the Vrykul hogging the spotlight. They were probably the only ones keeping the Alliance and Horde from murdering each other in that region.

Zul'Drak was ultimately a dead land that only time will heal now thanks to the desperation of that empire's people. The only real threat there was the remnants of the Scourge armies once commanded by Drakuru, now commanded by a potluck of constantly changing leaders.

The Dragonblight was too heavily embroiled in Scourge and Blue Dragon centric conflicts that also kept the prime factions too busy to kill each other. That and it was cold there.

Storm Peaks was much too loud, and cold, to enjoy any rest there despite the ruckus over Ulduar being settled; it wasn't named so for having nice weather now was it?

Scholazar Basin... he was not fond of Hemit Nesingwary plain and simple. If he does what he does for the sake of both satisfying his lust for the hunt _and_ some kind of business, be it anything, Naruto could easily tolerate Hemit and his company. That and he was not fond of waking up every few minutes to defend himself and/or his apprentice from something that either wants to kill or eat them as the situation often was.

Crystalsong Forest was... off-putting both physically and spiritually. It was beautiful yet disturbing; it was profoundly too silent there for anyone's tastes.

He wasn't fond of Dalaran either with no fault intended on their part. There just wasn't a lot of greenery there, and the entire city just felt crowded. A feature that also made him uncomfortable in both Stormwind and Undercity with the former being a lesser extent.

Then there was Icecrown... Naruto shifted a tad uncomfortably. In its own twisted way, it was the very reason he left Pandaria.

"Master Naruto?" Retsu smiled softly as she heard the miniscule instinctual groan Naruto had for that title. She was evil like that after all.

"If I may be so bold, perhaps you would like to spar?" Though it didn't to the observing eye, her smile turned into a grin when Naruto slowly dug both elbows into the ground so he could look at her with an upturned brow. "Am I that obvious?" He questioned. Silence and that ever present smile of hers was his only answer.

He cracked his neck and stretched from his spot, his body producing pops and cricks by the pound, before leaping onto his feet and stretching some more.

Retsu leisurely gotten up and rested her cup on a moss colored stone before disrobing. Ordinarily she worn a full body robe of deep blue with a slightly lighter coloring of violet around the cuffs and shoulders that left only her head and her hands visible. Revealed to the world was her long hair braided to the front over a white swashbuckler's shirt covered by a brown closed vest, black leather pants held up by a brown belt with a brass buckle. Her feet were left bare save for lacquered grey white reed-like sandals on her feet.

Like Naruto, she too stretches though hers are more based on her arms rather than his entire body as she turned to face what would be an oddity to scores of people. True he was human, a human of a athletic build wearing a dark blue sleeveless shirt being covered by a burnt orange open vest without buttons, brown boots with light ocean blue pants held up by a what appeared to be a belt made of a burnt orange rope acting as a belt adorned with a circular silvery pendant bearing a black paw print, and had his unruly hair held back by a burnt orange headband, _yet_ he was an oddity for his unique set of skills that he shared with no one; band-like tattoos featured much like his belt located on his arms not withstanding despite the worldwide lack of them.

No one other than Retsu Unohana had been given the same skill set for the past two years at least.

The reasoning was simple as she learned. When someone did muster up the courage, or gall in some cases, to ask Naruto, he would state that they were too set in their ways to take up his art. A elderly man or woman would find it easier, yet difficult, to take up a 'class' from bare bottom than someone who had spent years following a set of actions, limitations, and thought process to pick up a differing style. A mage would have to fight off their near instinctual need to raise a hand to cast a spell rather than to strike or defend. A warrior may be too stationary because of the experience harnessed by take and dealing blows where flexibility was the key. A shaman would call upon the elements rather than call upon themselves.

Ultimately it was a mess Naruto tries to avoid as peacefully as he could.

Secondly was probably the chief reason she was chosen over scores of others who didn't fit the criteria laid out before. She didn't favor sides.

"You ready?" He whirled around with a grin with his arms stretched out in... that stance. His grin grew as he caught the very subtle twitch of Retsu's brow. Two could play the subtlety game after all. When he entered the Stance of the Sturdy Ox, despite its odd and drunken appearance to contradict the name, Retsu knew she had to enter the role she favored the least; the role of the attacker. Unfortunately she had offered... at best she could make him regret it with a solid smack to the face.

The Stance of the Fierce Tiger was assumed.

However the purpose of the stance was switched when the unexpected happened.

On second thought it played straight up Naruto's alley in her opinion; Naruto attacked first.

Two years spent with him were not wasted when she rolled back to avoid the concussive force of his clashing charge. Another roll saved her from a barrel tossed at her. A third roll drew her further away from the blond but not before another barrel spilt its contents onto her and her surroundings of the small hill making up their dueling ground. The quick patter of boots was all she needed to confirm Naruto was still on the attack, and there was only one course of action to counter him.

Attack.

Despite the slick grass beneath her, she propelled herself forward as her mind focused on what to do. Naruto stopped his advance and kicked himself back followed by a roll as increase the diminishing distance between him and his apprentice'as she hurtled towards him in a all too familiar kick, the Flying Serpent Kick.

His grin returned as a plan formulated in his mind. He rolled underneath the flying monk and spring up with a kick expelling a dark purple energy in a crescent shape. Slamming a foot onto the ground, Retsu twists herself around and counters with her own Blackout Kick, the combined and clashing forces creating a audible boom that pushes the dueling pair away from each other, with Naruto skidding onto the slick ground Retsu was showered in.

"You're improving!" He chimed in with a grin as he crossed his arms, gravity taking control as he started to slide down on the small incline. "But there is always room for more." He flipped backwards and landed onto a low hanging branch where he flashed her a cheeky grin before hopping away again.

Retsu rolled her eyes and gave chase from below.

She was barely few feet into the surrounding forest when she was met by a surprised carried by a parachute. Without thinking, she swatted it away. A sigh of relief escaped her when the grenade's strength was revealed, low grade explosive. The only danger they were was to the pine needles; painful and annoying if it was living flesh though.

She looked up and sighed when she discovered it wasn't the only one.

XVX

_(Flashback!)_

Hillsbrad, Two Years ago

At times she wondered why she was still here. Southshore, both the town proper and its surrounding area, wasn't really a bad place to live even with the ever present threat of The Forsaken at Tarren Mill. It was the world at large that gave her grief.

To the west lies the ruined city of Stromgarde with its streets ruined and crawling with thugs and mercenaries affiliated with the Syndicate, much like Durnholde's current state though that prison's use had long since been dropped when orcs raided it to free the prisoners there.

To the east tales were often heard of vicious wolf-men known as Worgen that stalked their victims from the shadows, and of a madman who allegedly brought them to this world hold up in a keep.

To the north was the Scourge; The Forsaken as well depending on point of view. The only good she heard was that the Argent Dawn was seeking to repel the war machine from Northrend and was gathering every able body and open mind to do it. Then there were the parts she heard but never seen such as the nearby Alterac Valley where a pointless war raged between dwarves, orcs, and their respective allies fought for days on end.

She came to terms that the world was not an ideal place with its long standing grudges and its failure to communicate long before Lordaeran even fell, yet it didn't mean she liked it. Many an idle thought had been spent where she would venture out into the world not as a hero but as someone willing to, capable of even, seek an improvement to the world as they knew it. Yet sadly she wasn't physically capable to take up the mantle of a Paladin and her thoughts of them dimmed when she observed group after group depart from Southshore to lay siege on Tarren Mill. A Priest's position didn't sit right for her given the very real possibility of walking the world alone.

Retsu Unohana sighed to herself as she trudged along the road with a small cart laden with potions that was her living when coin was relevant. She lacked skill when using a bow or a gun, and the aggression often associated with every other known traveler outside of a salesman like that goblin with the robot guard that she had met on more than one occasion. As far as her life has been, she is and will be only an alchemist. Today she was once again an alchemist who needed to sell her wares.

Looking up she spots a handful of travelers talking amongst themselves, not one for rudeness she armed herself with a smile and gave a polite nod of her head regardless of being seen or not as she passed by.

"Did you see how limber that guy was?"

"I thought only rogues moved that fast, and what's with that staff?"

"Forget staff, was that magic he was using in that one kick?"

"I'm fairly sure he cracked the wall at the inn when he punched that one guy away from him."

Retsu raised a brow but did nothing else. She could only deduce that some kind of fight broke out in the town again, most likely with the Syndicate being involved once again in a bid to take it over like they did with Stromgarde. It was no surprise to hear someone defending themselves, but what they said definitely raised her curiosity. It sounded like a Druid was in a fight, yet if it was then why was it a surprise?

Then again Druids aren't known to punch let alone kick people, at least not hard enough to elicit a comment about their physical strength or the use of druidic power in such a way.

"I suppose I'll have to find the details myself," she said to no one as she neared the town.

XVX

Southshore proper

"You need it and I have it! Get your potions right here! Schematics and patterns too! Why travel to a city when I got it right here?" Barked a shrill voiced goblin from the shoulder of his mechanical bodyguard. His diehard attitude was the only thing keeping him going on when there was a distinct lack of people here outside of the locals. That blond haired guy was the closest thing to a customer he had till the kid learned the salesman didn't carry anything he wanted. Health potions included.

Overconfident bastard.

Sure he massacred the latest Syndicate onslaught but surely he had coin to spend from looting all those corpses! Now that he thought about it, that guy seems to be more interested in food than anything else in this quiet little town since he sat himself by the inn's door...

Yeah...

He could take a week off from Hillsbrad to go to Gnomeregan, gut some of their doodads to make some kind of portable fridge... another robot may have to be built just to carry the fridge-... Robot fridge! Ingenious! A pen must be found, this idea was gold in the making!

Unfortunately the foodstuffs in question may be limited to the cooking material and perhaps certain cheeses but he was sure to rake in more dough! Oh, maybe he should-

The goblin narrowed his eyes as his train of thought was cut off by a familiar bobbing head of brown hair armed with a scowl was marching straight towards him. Sergeant McDonald or something, he didn't care for names of non-favorite customers unless they proved themselves a nuisance one way or another. Frankly he often called the pest Sergeant Buzzkill. He couldn't conduct business, or in this case formulate a plan, when this pompous twit acted high and mighty.

Paladins and other holy rollers were bad enough on a slow day; a screwdriver through the ear was a much more pleasant alternative when it was a bad day.

"You there! What do you think you're doing?!" Sergeant McDonald, or whatever his name is, demanded of the trader.

The goblin just stared at the sneering man before he reached into a hidden compartment built into the mechanical behemoth's back. He took a deep breath and whipped out a megaphone.

"DOING BUSINESS! BUZZ OFF BUZZKILL!" He shouted, his already booming voice was amplified further was his megaphone set at maximum, forcing the Southshore soldier to stumble backwards from the sheer volume of it all. The trader snickered to himself.

The Sergeant regained his composer and snarled at the goblin. "I'm not the one disturbing the peace here, so leave once and for all!"

The trader sighed and rubbed his face. This moron has been hounding him to leave after a odd length of events where he arrived just before Southshore was attacked by either a Horde war band or the Syndicate, and even times where he was already in the town when it was attacked.

Same could be said for Tarren Mill minus the Syndicate troubles. For reasons unknown however, this guy had pegged him as the reason for all of the Southshore related trouble and has been jumping on every excuse imaginable to get rid of the goblin.

At this point he was just grasping at straws when the mayor got called in more than once.

Sore loser, thy name was either Buzzkill or McDonald.

"You know, I'm fairly sure I have the mayor's consent regarding how I attract customers. Why don't we ask him?" He snidely replied.

McDonald however snarled once again once again. "I was referring to your... _contraption_ there. It is ungainly, far too large, and so unpleasant to look at that it's disrupting the peace!" He shouted.

The merchant looked to his left and his right, so far it seemed if anyone was disrupting the peace...

"Show of hands if the X-23 is causing problems for them!"

No hands were raised from the audience that had gathered. Those who newly arrived merely looked on with curiosity as the sergeant began to sweat.

"McDonald," his attention was whipped towards a more elderly guard of graying and balding hair flanked by two other guards.

"Captain," His tone noticeably more calm.

The captain brought up a hand and gestured for him to come forward.

The sergeant clenched both his teeth and hands. "Sir, with all due _respect_ I am currently trying to _peacefully_ eject a unruly troublemaker."

The older man sighed and wearily looked him in the eye. "We can do this one of two ways sergeant," he said quietly. He gestured once more.

McDonald sneered as he jabbed a accusatory finger at the bored merchant. "This little monster is responsible for the deaths of dozens of fellow guards! Who's to say he hasn't been feeding information to the undead or the Syndicate to litter his pockets with gold?!"

"Who's to say he has?" The sergeant was utterly gobsmacked by the captain's stern counter. "Tell me _Sergeant Mcdonald_, do we have walls?" Before the sergeant could speak up, the captain continued his inquiry. "Do we have a band of scouts, rangers, or anyone fleet of foot to keep an eye out for intruders?"

The sergeant opened his mouth to answer till the captain cut him off once again. "No. All we have is a tower built years ago to watch the road. We have patrols we change every few days in hopes to keeping at bay or at least stalling attacks on the town, anyone with eyes and a mind can at discern that part."

"Now will you come quietly or do we have to make a scene?" The question was calm as it was grave.

McDonald was stunned, shocked even as he stared at the tense guards and the otherwise calm captain of the Southshore guards. The twitch of a hand was the only warning to his angry draw of the sword. His hand was about to grip the handle of his blade when something collided against his armored hand with an audible "_Ting_!" that had enough force to make his hand overshoot its goal and grasp air instead.

With the force of a charging horse, the two guards at the captain's side tackled the sergeant to the ground and wrestled with him as they tried to stand up with their captive.

The captain himself gawked for a brief moment before returning to the duty at hand. "Sergeant Herald McDonald, you are to be stripped of your rank and relieved of duty to stand trial for the following crimes: abusing your authority. Disturbing the peace-"

"Let go of me!"

"-Insubordination-"

"He's selling vital intelligence to our enemies, I know it!"

"-Attempted assault-"

"I'm trying to protect us!" McDonald was being forced away from the scene to the tower further up the road.

"-and resisting arrest."

McDonald howled with rage and tried to escape his captors as he was dragged away; four more guards joined in to ensure his incarceration. Before he makes for the tower himself, the captain peered into the crowd that was behind him to discern whoever helped from afar but leaves dissatisfied.

He didn't notice the awestruck gaze of the local alchemist Retsu Unohana, merely chalking it up as shock from the incident on display but moments ago much like everyone else. If he had followed her gaze he would've spotted a teenager in various blues and oranges with tattoos on his arms happily munching on a kabob, seemingly unaware of what just happened despite the yelling of the former sergeant.

Unlike the captain however, Retsu was aware of what happened. Admittedly she didn't know what drew her attention to the tattooed teenager in the first place when he only turned his head, perhaps it was because he was so calm and fluid about it in stark contrast to the standoff, or perhaps it was because she was far enough from the crowd to witness it in the first place. With a simple flick of the wrist he had gotten rid of the kabob stick in his hand, grabbed a nearby bag she guessed was his, got up from his spot, and proceeded to his new spot in a small alleyway between the inn and one of the houses of Southshore where he claimed another kabob from his bag.

She wasn't sure what to make of him during her stay in Southshore.

XVX

Hillsbrad, the day after

To her disappointment, the blond haired teenager seemed to have left the town sometime before she awoke from her room at the inn as she often did when she came to town. She unfortunately hadn't made an effort to talk to him during the whole time they had been in town due to the demands of business, and a certain goblin stocking up on his wares, took priority; at most a smile and a wave was shared between the two. Yet her mind was hooked on him. Was he the one those people were talking about before she arrived in Southshore? If so where was his staff? Was he some form of rogue? He was definitely not ordinary, sans the tattoos, that was a given considering the use of a used kabob stick.

Whatever the case was, he wasn't in town anymore.

With nothing left to tie her down at Southshore, she left with her now nearly empty cart in tow with idle musings about the teenager from yesterday.

However not a mile from her departure she was surprised to happen upon the teenager once again further up the road... as he was talking to an orc and a tauran... a rather bewildered orc and tauran now that she took greater note of their features.

Was the blond bilingual?

The duo left just as dazed as they were spotted. It wasn't long before the blond turned around, spotted her, and waved with a infectious grin. She smiled and waved back in response as she trudged her cart along.

XVX

Ten minutes later

"To be honest I'm a little envious of your craft," the blond admitted with a chuckle as he pulled the alchemist's cart.

Retsu raised a brow at that. "Oh? How so if I may ask"

"Because alchemy isn't that far off from cooking in my view. You have to collect the ingredients, sort them out to the recipe you plan to make, and when it is all said and done someone ends up satisfied with the product of great craftsmanship," he said with a smile as Retsu smiled warmly. "That and they say Alchemy was made in a kitchen," he added.

Retsu chuckled to herself. "I'll admit, I have not heard it like that before Mister Uzumaki."

"No, no. Naruto will do!" He countered merrily.

Retsu just smiled pleasantly as they descended a small hill to a cottage settled at its base. "Careful, the ground tends to be slick till mid day Mister ... Naruto!" Her warning was for naught when Naruto stumbled on the hill, and the cart she had relinquished on his insistence to unburden her had easily succumbed to the call of the planet's pull with the blond somehow managing to stay in front of it.

In her panic she failed to notice he brought his feet together and used them as a steering wheel of sorts to which he and the cart evaded the embrace of a outlying rock, however Retsu inadvertently tripped and rolled down the hill in her haste to do _something_ regarding the runaway cart and the 'imperiled' teen.

Naruto slid to a stop a couple of feet from the cottage and turned to assess Retsu's state of health, only to puff his cheeks to keep himself from laughing at Retsu's sprawled out form on the ground as she groaned from the abuse her body just went through.

Fighting down the ensuing urge to chortle, he abandons the cart in favor of helping the woman up to her feet. "Are you alright Retsu?" He offers a hand to the downed woman.

"I'm fine," she lightly groans as she accepted his hand, "but what of you? Are you alright?"

Naruto snorts a little, "I have done more dangerous things than that long before I came to the Eastern Kingdoms."

Retsu only closed her eyes and smiled before going to her cart to remove a empty crate from it, Naruto joined in soon after.

"If I may ask, what are you planning to do after you leave?" She asked as she and Naruto placed crate after crate inside the small home.

"Oh I was planning on continuing to head west to see Silverpine Forest before heading north, northeast."

She blinked at the casual reply. "I mean not to discourage you or anything but are you not aware of the tales of Worgen haunting the forest east of here? And The Forsaken have grown to love little for a human who still has a pulse."

"I'm aware," he casually spoke again.

A frown creased her lips as Naruto made to leave her abode, her mind finally urging the question she had suppressed since meeting him. "A question if I may?"

Naruto stopped and turned to her.

"What are you?"

A grin threatened to split the blonds' head from his body. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, a monk who seeks to see the world! That is what I am!" His grin got a bit wider and he gave her a thumb's up, for a small moment she though she saw a gleam from his eyes, teeth, and thumb all at the same time.

XVX

Elsewhere, Elemental Nations war c amp

Might Guy and Rock Lee's just shivered in unison just as they swallowed the broth that was their breakfast. Both darted their heads in every conceivable direction before turning to the only suspect they had for the feeling. The cook.

"Your soup is most youthful today good cook!"

"Yes! It is most youthful that it energizes us to our very core!"

The cook stared at them disbelievingly before slowly edging away from the duo while keeping silent as to not encourage them even further...

XVX

Retsu's cottage

Innocently Retsu tilted her head in confusion. "What exactly is a monk?"

_(End Flashback!)_

XVX

Grizzly Hills road

"The path of life has many twists and turns indeed!" Naruto thought to himself as he blocked a kick from Retsu with both arms.

She planted both feet on the ground, in reaction to this Naruto swayed but did not move back and thrust a palm forward, a flurry of fists met and continued to meet a aura of gold keeping them from landing a blow on the younger of the two.

The muscles in Naruto's leg twitched but did nothing when his gaze caught a glimpse of a brilliant glint coming from the road, a glint that also caught Retsu's attention.

Giving pause to the spar, both turned to a awestruck dark skinned Draenei bearing the colors and armor of the Argent Crusade as well as the horse he rode in on.

"Excuse me, may we help you?" The Draenai was roused from his stupor and cleared his throat. "Yes. Would either of you know where I may find Lord Naruto Uzumaki?"

Naruto raised his hand and grinned. "Just call me Naruto!"

A bit flabbergasted, the Draenei gave a bow from his horse and dismounted. He digs into a pocket and retrieves a scroll which he hands to the blond Monk. "Lord Fordring requests your presence with the utmost urgency at the Icecrown Citadel sir. I am here to escort you to ensure your safety."

He takes note of the frown marring his cheerful features. It soured a little further as read into the scroll and he caught him muttering "I didn't think he would bring the fight to there so soon." He handed the scroll to Retsu as he departed to the forest. "Looks like I'll have to wake up Gǔ mèng, want me to do the same with Lán shí for you?"

Retsu shook her head as she spoke up, "I'll wake her up." She opened the scroll as she followed Naruto into the brush with the confused Draenei close behind her. "Your mounts' names I take it?" He intoned curiously. "You could say that," she answered back.

Naruto yelled from up ahead, "I'm going to place your tea by my box Retsu!" He received no reply from her as she marched on.

Upon arriving at the Monk's camp, the Draenei looked on quizzically as Naruto fanned a large bowl of some kind of soup with noodles and zucchini in it in front of a green stone. His mind was drawing conclusions of the man being demented or at least mentally ill till he heard the dull utterance of a groan, and gawked when a large green scaly head with a beak for a mouth and a horn curving upwards just behind its eye slowly emerged from the 'rock' and took a whiff of the soup. Without warning, it lunged and proceeded to devour the contents of the bowl while Naruto left it be to grab a nearby box; he momentarily flipped its lid open and retrieved some kind of mat before closing it once again as the creature's limbs emerged one by one from the 'rock's' depths.

"In case you're wondering, that is my master's companion, a Dragon Turtle known as Gǔ mèng otherwise known as "Ancient Sleeper" for both his advanced age and his habit of favoring sleep unless coaxed out his slumber by food with a strong scent to them, danger, or his own will." The Draenei turned with startled hesitation towards Retsu, whom he failed to notice her leaving him be as he stared at the so called Dragon Turtle.

He blinked as he found it odd that she was sitting on something that made her crane her neck downward to see him, when he looked down he had to stifle a gasp as he almost came face to face with a albeit smaller blue scaled version of a Dragon Turtle, though the color of its shell wasn't different from its alleged elder. Retsu patted the shell of her turtle and spoke softly, "This is Lán shí, my own companion." The turtles stretched its neck out even further to sniff the crusader before backing off, seemingly content with its actions.

"Are you ready to go?" Naruto called out, earning the attention of the crusader to the larger turtle, now moving at a sedate pace past him with a shell decked out with a blanket underlying various items such as a barrel, lanterns, a highchair, and as well as the Monk himself.

"Uh... Yes." He cleared his throat, "Allow me to get my horse. Are you sure you wish to travel by a turtle sir?" A part of him felt dread when the one called Gǔ mèng stomped on the ground hard enough for a small tremor to be felt as it turned to give him a half lidded smoldering glare. "What are you talking about? Gǔ mèng is amongst the fastest creatures on Azeroth!" The rider defended, a few beads of sweat however accumulated on his forehead despite the headband. Seemingly satisfied with that, the larger turtle resumed its march... until the crusader spoke up once more.

"I mean not to be rude, but turtles are hardly considered fast-."

"Dear gods, NOOOO!" It was too late.

Before either the crusader or Retsu could blink, Gǔ mèng was off like an angry green bolt of lightning. Naruto's screams of mercy to coax the shelled behemoth to slow down quickly died down.

Retsu chuckled nervously as she rubbed the back of her head. "Gǔ mèng as I understand it, is very prideful about his speed despite his lazy tendencies. I suppose a lesson could be learn from this however." The Draenei robotically turned around with his jaw threatening to leave him.

Retsu smiled. "Sometimes you have to protect people from yourself more so than from others. Lán shí?" The blue turtle sped off as well, leaving the gaping crusader by himself at the campsite.

A gust of wind blew by, slightly nudging him from his stupor. "I'm in trouble aren't I?" He asked to no one in particular.

**A/N: Like Naruto Uzumaki with his ninja way, I too do not back down from my word! Please do not doubt me in regards of updating this!**

**Like for my other stories, I use Google translator for my writing purposes so please do not make an issue about the turtles. For the record, Lán shí was what I got for "Blue Stone" in traditional style Chinese' phonetic function.**

**Gǔ mèng ("Ancient Sleeper") is a great dragon turtle minus the nose ring.**

**Admittedly I was going to have Naruto fight out McDonald (aka Buzzkill) but I figured given Retsu Unohana's personality I sincerely doubt that she would've joined Naruto if he came off as a brute of some kind who could've solved it in a less violent manner and more or less made a bit of a liar of myself regarding my haiku portions earlier.**

**Speaking of which I do recognize Tier is Tia's real first name but I favor Tia since it rolls off the tongue more pleasantly.**

**For those who may not get it, Southshore (and Tarren Mill) was a point of contention in early pvp conflicts of WoW and I believe that players weren't the only ones venting grief about it. **

**(Side note): It is said that no one really knows why it was such a hotspot but my own opinion formed by experience leads me to say that out of this area compared to other raiding spots, the run from the graveyards is much more pleasant. That and if you're on the run from more dimwitted players back then, trees make useful cover when either side went to hide. I know, I fled from Crossroads (XR) based raids on several occasions where the other guys had mounts...**

**If you're wondering, Naruto came to the Kingdoms around the same time as the BC (Burning Crusade) era.**

**Also I admit I forgot the name of the goblin merhcnat who traveled there.**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**


	7. Chapter 4, 'Infiltration'

**This story is meant for entertainment purposes, I otherwise would not put a disclaimer here for Naruto and Warcraft... (Sniffs) I kind of wish I owned the latter though. For added protection, I also add Bleach though it is in name actually only, not universe. I own not those three.**

Path of a monk

Chapter 4: To tell of a "infiltration," part 1

Valley of Fallen Heros, Icecrown

A gnomish warrior relentlessly pounded the skull of a fallen skeletal mage with a hammer as he panted, his swings growing less and less fervent with each swing of the arm. He looks up to count the numerous fallen cadavers that had lied in wait for him or at least some kind of unsuspecting counterpart. Either way it did not matter to him, there was a reward to be had! He grinned and turned to the prize he had fought viciously for, a titanium vein in broad daylight! And it was his! He hitched his hammer to his belt and dug around his backpack for a pickax to claim his just reward.

"Aaaaaaaaah!" For the briefest of moments, the gnome stood stock still till he renewed his search with blazing vigor to claim the vein before he was attacked, or worse beaten to the vein! With a triumphant cry the gnome lashed out his mining pick and charged to the vein in vain as the scream got closer much too fast, and unfortunately running the gnome over face first with a sizable impression on the ground.

To both his annoyance and relief, the screaming diminished and whatever had ran him over seemed to have no interest in his hard fought loot to be. Regrettably he had to pull himself out of his mediocre hole first. He heaved up with a grunt, no dice. He heaved up once again, the small satisfaction of breaking dirt assailed his ears till a pang of dread destroyed his relief. Something with wings was landing!

It landed! An arm is freed and tries to act as a prop to free the gnome!

Something jumped off the flying mount! It was heading towards his vein with a cackle!

"Noooo. Noooo! NO!" The gnome liberated his head from the cold ground to witness the perpetrator! A troll just mined _his_ vein and is making his getaway! The troll hopped onto a wyvern and flew off, the vein was nowhere to be seen.

Tears threatened to spill out of the gnome's eyes as he whimpered "No fair..."

XVX

Court of Bones, Icecrown, two minutes later

"Is that a turtle?" a female Crusader asks another from the captured gate of Corp'rethar.

"What I want to know is who the hell is screaming from atop whatever that is," another Crusader grumbled.

"How'd he or it get past the guards at the entrance?" a third Crusader chimes in.

The first Crusader looks down and squints her eyes. "From the looks of it, whatever it is ran past them before they could react." She points down at the ground to a handful of gate guards scrambling to mount their steeds to give chase.

"Well, at least they don't have to worry about whoever is riding that thing being stealthy with that pair of lungs."

XVX

Gǔ mèng traversed the last step without even slowing down. A quick glance changes his course from the Citadel's front door to a outlying camp nearby, more specifically to the camps' fire. As it neared the fire in a matter of seconds, the turtle finally slowed down to a sedate crawl befitting his size and even ignores Naruto as he jumped off.

As the turtle approaches, Naruto gets on his knees and cries out with mirthful tears in his eyes. "I'm alive!" he cackles for a moment before falling onto his back, his laugh quickly boiling down to a glad pant of a survivor of a shipwreck.

Gǔ mèng settled himself in front of the fire and returned to the confines of his shell, effecting ignoring both Naruto and surrounding gathered army of Argent Crusaders and Ebon Blade death knights as some went to investigate the abrupt cry. It didn't mean however that a few of them didn't blatantly stared at the Dragon turtle as it returned to its favorite activity of sleeping.

"Is that a turtle?" one of them asked.

XVX

Twenty minutes and a clarification later

"Maybe we can convince the turtle handlers into coming to either Kalimdor or the Kingdoms..." Naruto mused before taking a sip from his cup of tea in front of a campfire. Retsu chuckle softly in her throat. "That could help in dealing with Gǔ mèng's agitation considerably," she offered in response.

Unfortunately they both knew that was a long shot.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, as you can imagine things have been busy as of late," a seasoned voice resonated. Both Monks looked up, smiled, and waved at the honorary figure approaching them. Tirion Fordring, commander of the Argent Crusade, was approaching from the Citadel gate dressed in what appeared to be a plate armored 'dress' primarily of gold and some steel with strips of blue cloth lacing itself around his shins, a loop of it acting as a belt of some kind, decorating the forearms and palms of his gauntlets, and a few strips as well as a band decorating his pauldrons just under what appeared to be coals eternally ablaze in a gentle glow in the sockets of the segmented pauldrons.

"Hello Lord Fordring, would you like some tea?" Naruto offered as Retsu held up a cup and kettle with closed eyes and a kind smile.

He gave a apologetic smile and waved in dismissal. "As pleasant as that sounds I am unfortunately pressed for time. We're still laying in the last measures of defense if we're thrust out of the entrance hall and I would much like to return to the front to ensure we're not cast out of what we achieved ever so recently so soon; pardon me for being brief."

Both the monks nod and put away their possessions before getting up.

"As you may have read, I wish for you to act as both bodyguard and if necessary mediator to Lady Proudmoore and Lady Windrunner."

Tirion's mood and posture did not change as Naruto gawked at him with a jaw that fought over whether to clench itself or remain open, Retsu's reaction by comparison was less drastic with the raising of both of her eyebrows and seemingly stood eerily still.

"I take it you haven't read the details," Tirion comments.

Naruto both chuckled and smiled nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "I skimmed it," he admits.

"I'll admit when I originally sent for willing souls to aid us to exploring a possible back entrance of the Citadel, it was Jaina Proudmoore who initiated my search. Unfortunately the news of this potential discovery however drew the personal attention of Sylvanas Windrunner, either way both seek a possible... encounter with any of the Lich King's secrets. As you can imagine, Sylvanas is all too eager to enter the Citadel. Eager enough that I fear she could be a factor to an incident if Lady Proudmoore were to enter before and tailed afterwards by Sylvanas," Tirion states grimly as he explained the situation.

Naruto took a quiet sip from his cup. "I take it took some time and effort to get them to agree to go together let alone find a team to match your intent," Naruto contemplated aloud.

The Lord Crusader nodded. "Details of who is on your team are in the scroll I sent; speak to the stable master if you need passage to the third tier. I need to return to the entrance hall to ensure the last of the defenses are emplaced." He gave them a curt but polite bow under the circumstances before leaving.

Naruto silently drank the last dregs of tea as he outstretched his unguided hand towards Retsu whom hands him the scroll. Had he looked up he would've noticed the frown she was sporting as she gave him the scroll, and it unfortunately had nothing to do with politics.

Naruto opened the scroll at the best of his one hand based ability till he placed the cup down to complete the task. Eyes darted from top to bottom, essentially re-skimming the page till three names of note leapt out at him.

"Oh! It seems we're teamed with Rangiku!" Naruto notes in casual amusement, fighting back a grin at the twitch from Retsu's brow out of the corner of his eye.

XVX

Hallway to the Forge of Souls

Rangiku Matsumoto, Kenpachi Zaraki, and Yachiru Kusajishi. Minus the latter,Retsu Unohana wasn't she who she detested more.

Kenpachi Zaraki, even before he died he was a utter monster on the battlefield that bowed to an extreme few who had the power to best him. In life he was an orc mercenary of record breaking height from a long dead clan whom specialized in berserk fighting styles. Some even say that they, and by extension Kenpachi, were already feral long before the Burning Legion induced the, at the time, nonexistent Horde into being their servants.

Two things were worth noting about him during his time as a mercenary: his unusual height that rivaled and even intimated tauren including the strength begot from it, and his actual lack of interest in coin in favor of, in his own words, "a good fight."

He strived for battle and opponents that could push him to the edge and very well gave the distinct possibility of dying at their hands. No banner was safe from his lust for fighting when he was more or less 'hired.'

How he died wasn't too surprising given his personality, he was hired to fight alongside the Argent Dawn to combat the Scourge and he didn't heed their call for retreat when one of their assaults failed.

Death just made him particularly more dangerous, and given him a ample target to unleash himself upon. The only real upside to him in Retsu's mind was he did live by a code of conduct, his own but a code nonetheless: don't' kill anyone who can't fight back or lacks the will to live unless they continue fighting, of course that rule varies greatly on a case by case basis of course given how The Scourge operates and on opponents that generally peaked his interest or even lose it. Don't burn down buildings with civilians inside to get at his target, mindless violence like that lacked any value to him after all. Generally rules of conduct with some ethics involved really.

Yachiru's story was only really known by herself and Kenpachi as far as anyone knew; whether or not Kenpachi actually knew about it was a subject of debate between those who knew Kenpachi in person and people who were interested in finding out about Yachiru's history for varying interests.

Really Retsu only knew what she observed as saddening as it was. All she actually knew of the girl was that she died young and somehow became a Death Knight who's personality easily clashed with others in terms of mood with Kenpachi being the general exception when compared to the rest of the Ebon Blade. In short, no pun intended, she was hyperactive and overall cheerful. Death seemed not to have diminished her spirit from her days as a living girl much like Kenpachi when he was a mercenary before dying. The two were virtually inseperable outside of combat and Kenpachi's naps. From what she could deduce, the interesting pair were together before they became death knights under the Lich King's banner.

Interesting...

Yet Retsu had no qualm aside from the fact her appearance was that of a twelve-year old child at best, or worst.

She only had problems with Kenpachi's warmongering... and _her_.

Rangiku Matsumoto... something about her rubbed Retsu the wrong way. She was loud, she was a drunkard, and she seemingly had a rather... clingy relationship with her master for an un-divined reason.

Admittedly she thought nothing of it at first till she sat back and actually observed her when she was with Naruto after meeting the woman for the first time. She was practically joined to the hip with him when she learns of his presence, always chatting him up in a rambunctious manner, practically suffocated him to death in her almost patented hugs, and shared a one or two, dozen, drinks with him that would make her worry about her master's health despite being told otherwise; according to her master and several others it wasn't uncommon to find a monk with a high tolerance for alcohol that could give a outright veteran dwarvern drinker a run for his or her money... may the light grant mercy on her, she actually had seen a pandaren Brewmaster in action when it came to mixing and drinking concoctions that could knock out ogres let alone dwarves.

Now that she thought about it, how was Xi Shou doing now a days?

She shook her head to clear her mind.

It was her eyes that bothered Retsu. She couldn't understand them when they shifted to that of a more foreign, more soul bearing look only revealed when her master's gaze went somewhere else.

From what she understood, Rangiku Matsumoto was a former resident of Quel'Thalas till a self imposed exile starting shortly after the Second War ended and went... she was born and often ridiculed for her inability to casts spells due to what was concluded as a rare genetic disorder by Kirin Tor. Ultimately the closest thing to a spell she could ever achieve, where any other elf in general could cast even the most basic spell when pushed, was the well known hunter ability known as Arcane Shot which required but the bare essentials at most since her body acted as a natural nullifier towards spell casting. Ironically this disease was what kept her from sharing the fate of her kin now dubbed as the Sin'dorei, otherwise called Blood Elves, since she never depended on the Sunwell to begin with, thus keeping her status as a High Elf though strained as it was already.

Since her exile she only briefly stayed in Dalaran to ascertain why she was delegated to the life as a hunter where other classes and professions usually forced her to endure unwelcomed company whereas a hunter could practically live alone with the wild as their company if they chose to. Eventually after receiving her answer from a less biased source she had left for more secluded lands in the south as far as elves were concerned, not however after changing her last name and her hair from a reputed golden blond, much like Naruto's, to a strawberry blond to avoid recognition in the off chance she encountered a familiar face; what her last name was had long since drifted from the minds of the Kirin Tor and even Rangiku herself.

Since then she practically lived in the bars of Ironforge. In a semi-related note, she has on more than one occasion been nominated and awarded the title "Queen of Brewfest" till that part of the festival was removed; chief speculation regarding that was that jealous women with an aptitude for drinking that had connections utilized to obliterate that tradition on the grounds that they couldn't compete with Rangiku, unfortunately that was due to it being the only one that made sense since woppletingers and pink elekks were heavily involved in the other theories.

All in all with personal grievances aside, Retsu could understand why she was chosen to join them: ultimately Rangiku viewed herself neutral to either side on the grounds of 'Alliance' attempting to destroy the remnants of her people on trumped up charges by the widely known bigot named Garithos, though the actual Alliance condemned his actions she still felt betrayed considering her origin, yet on that same coin she didn't feel attached enough to them to actually care one way or another about their affiliation with the Horde.

Retsu's thoughts were cut short when a irritatingly familiar came dashing down the hall to greet them, more specifically to greet Naruto unfortunately... for Retsu at least. At least Naruto spotted her ahead of time to jump upwards a little.

"Naruto! It's been so long! I was beginning to think you were avoiding little ol' me!" A rather busty and curvaceous elf of strawberry blond hair and glowing blue eyes whined as she tackled the blond monk in a hug that just left his head resting on top of her breasts, a relatively unique twist compared to previous encounters where it normally threatened to end his life in a equally unique way...

Retsu's brow twitched. Rangiku Matsumoto in the flesh, at least she was dressed _relatively_ more decent than when they first met her. When they meet her in Ironforge she was almost always seen in high heels often seen in high society, tight fitting black leather pants, a equally black belt but studded in silver, and a red swashbuckler's shirt, none of which did much to hide her figure let alone assets. Another irk that got Retsu; admittedly she wore a similar shirt herself though it was more for the freedom it offered for her for her chosen course of life, that and the idea of sleeveless shirts didn't appeal to her, but she takes the time to give herself a more modest look regarding the shirt and added the vest as another attempt for modesty. Rangiku seemed to be her polar opposite when it came to that with her exposed midriff and deliberate display of her breasts without being outright obscene.

Now there she stood trying to crush Naruto in a hug in boots that had plates riveted into them tinged in a burnt red, gray mailed pants with the same kind of plates as before protecting the front and back of her legs as well as her rear and crotch though the pants were slit at the sides to expose the pale flesh of her legs. Her chest piece was heavily modified to reveal her bust much like her shirt had done in the past with a obviously brighter coloring of red to draw the eye though it was styled much like her pants and granted protection which it lacked. She bore gauntlets much like her boots, the plates revealing almost none of the mail that it was latched onto, and a signle shoulder guard protected her left shoulder. Her hair remained a cascading waterfall of hair that virtually hidden all but the very tips of her elongated ears.

A quick glance behind the elf confirmed the existence of Rangiku's known sole companion outside of Naruto, the ashen gray lynx named Haineko as it watched on patiently. Of course Retsu could almost swear she heard a whine from Haineko.

"Not that I'm not grateful to see you Rangiku, but could you let me go?" Naruto grinned a tad teasingly at the eager elf.

With a pout she did let him go... reluctantly in Retsu's view.

"Oof!" Unfortunately nothing saved Naruto from Haineko on the 'attack' and from her 'mauling' his face with her tongue. Naruto raised his hands to stop but one, she was too eager and two, he was afraid of harming her by accident.

"Can you stop it please?!" He cried as Haineko continue to give his face a tongue bath. "Aw... Haineko missed you too, isn't that sweet?" Rangiku cooed with a hand on her mouth in a bid to stifle the giggling.

A hand grabbed the nape of Haineko's neck, a quick whiff of air was enough to make the cat groan. "Now, now. It would be rude of us to keep those expecting us waiting," Retsu chided in a motherly tone with a gentle smile. Haineko groaned even further when Naruto escape from beneath her, her one small relief came when Naruto bent down after standing up and caressing her head with the palm of his hand.

Meanwhile Retsu and Rangiku had locked onto each other's attention and _smiled_ a strained smile at their respective counterparts, which Rangiku's was the more evident.

XVX

In the darkened halls of the citadel a massive orc dressed in a ragged and sleeveless white coat, his hair was black and spiked with bells attached to each one of them, stood at the very edge of a corner of the hallway. He was armed with a long jagged single edged katana-like sword resting it's flat end against his right shoulder that had a single hand drumming its fingers alongside the grip, a young girl with pale pink hair sitting on his left shoulder seemingly minding her own business with some kind of snack.

Had anyone ventured to get a good look at his front they would've noticed the following: the orc's coat was open at the front to reveal battered yet effective armor reminiscent to night sky, his arms were the relatively least guarded with vambraces to guard them. The orc had a scar running from the top of his head starting from his hair to his chin with a break in it over where his seemingly unaffected left eye was and covering the orc's right eye was an eye patch. His skin was a pasty green.

As for the girl riding on his shoulder, she was dressed in similar armor as the orc yet cleaner and even polished with pauldrons unlike her partner. Her choice of arms were a pair of short swords with runes etched into them that glowed a soft blue. As for the snack it was crackers, salted crackers to be precise.

Their glowing blue eyes revealed themselves as death knights. This was Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi.

Despite his calm exterior, the larger one was quiet agitated. But ten or so paces around the corner were guards that he'd love to tear into but no... he had to wait for the other two to show up. Three if he counted Rangiku's absence.

"Protecting the VIPs is the priority ," they said. "Your thirst for battle comes second," they said... their irritating voices of reason, or lack thereof to him, did little to improve his mood. He came to fight, plain and simple. Fordring was barring access to the front door promising the guaranteed fights he craved and that old bastard was no pushover despite his age. That and there was an army backing him up, garnish to a glorious meal that was battle really but unfortunately he respected the old bastard enough not to pick a meaningless fight with him. Being stinging sensation of being hit face first with a hammer empowered by the light had nothing to do with that decision...

So Kenpachi had to make do with the second best. What kind of fool _wouldn't_ place some tough bastards to guard the back door, alleged or not? That had to count for something right?

The soft patter of footsteps did little to even raise his hopes up in any regard, he wasn't the only one who was impatient after all. Had he looked back he would've been awarded with the conviction of his opinion, Sylvanas Windrunner, the Banshee Queen, was pacing back and forth as he mind stewed for the umpteenth time about how events lead to this.

The Argent Crusade and its, more or less, ally the Ebon Blade had successfully laid siege and broken into the Citadel. Scouts exploring the exterior for alternative routes inside to gauge possible points of retaliation found a _relatively_ unguarded passageway into the bowels of the fortress, and ever observant ears from both sides picked up its existence when Crusaders with loose tongues came to Dalaran to retrieve imported supplies. Two parties, including herself, with an interest in Arthas had came and Tirion Fordring finds it an issue! With an army at his command he had made it a very real threat that he would sooner bar access than exploit a possible weakness out of fear that a conflict between factions could break out. Absurd! The Forsaken's reputation was hanging by a thread as it is thanks to Varimathras' and Putress' betrayal at Wrathgate, another incident that could well lead to an outright war between the sides would be nothing less than suicide.

The Alliance and Horde's current skirmishing would be nothing in comparison, and the free willed undead would most likely be surrounded by all sides such an event occurred thanks to them. Thrall's mercy had its limits.

She could only take comfort in the knowledge that one, there was a significant chance to strike out against Arthas and two, their forced...' cooperative' mission was being spearhead by a more neutral third party that almost border lined as mercenaries in their truest form, fighters who work for the highest bidder: Kenpachi Zaraki, an former if not actual mercenary who craved battle and will fight anyone posing the greatest challenge.

Yachiru Kusajishi... actually she went wherever Kenpachi went.

Rangiku 'Matsumoto,' an outcast of Quel'dorei society... now that she thought about it there seemed to be little to entice her here as far as Sylvanas was concerned, she neither met nor knew much about the elf. At most she, Sylvanas, could only guess she, Rangiku, wasn't taking sides in the conflict considering Tirion formed this team to guard the faction leaders.

Sylvanas stopped and blinked as she realized something. "Who are the last two making up this detail?" She asked only herself. Her mind drew blanks, and she inwardly cursed herself for lack of knowledge. She knew only of Kenpachi by his reputation thanks to numerous reports of a orc berserker that was employed for and against the Horde in general. Yachiru was more or less a detail to identify him though there was suspicion she was possibly behind the many accounts of sabotage noted before or after Kenpachi was on the offensive.

Rangiku was more out of the peculiarity of the fact a High elf joined in, the most she had on the woman was the vague memories of dull mutterings about her. Her distinct lack of interest in the outside world beyond surviving long enough to ensure Arthas' fall, and on a lesser count of protecting the living remnants of her people, seems to be getting back at her. Her only conclusion was that they had to be equally if not more so unbiased like the last three and in some way connected or at least heard by the Argent Crusade.

She cast a glance towards her... counterpart in all this, Lady Jaina Proudmoore. The same woman often referred to as the unofficial leader of the Alliance, student of Atonidas, and former love interest of her sworn enemy. Ever since they began to wait here the girl had been drifting between the real world and the world of memories if the glazed eyes that lighten up only for a disturbance were an indicator...

Any musings she, and Jaina, had or were going to have was cut short when the steady clack of a stave on the stone floor came to them and slowly grew louder by the minute. Both women, Kenpachi, and by extension Yachiru when he turned to see who was coming, looked down the hall to see a quartet of figures coming down the darkened hall. Two of which were easily identified as Rangiku and her pet since one of the figures was obviously a large cat.

The last two were the ones worth noting in the dreary atmosphere. They were human, that much was clear. Jaina squinted to get a better look at the two, even with all her time inside the Citadel, her eyes could only do so much; Sylvanas had no such hindrance however considering her domain.

Only two things needed to confirm her rapidly mounting suspicion despite the lighting: a silver pendant hung at the waist and darkened flesh of tattoos; Naruto Uzumaki, the traveling monk and most likely his apprentice Retsu Unohana. She should've known that odd duck was going to be a part of this.

She knew of Naruto of course by word of mouth, in fact everyone, or at least nearly everyone, in the Horde has heard of his name. How many humans were ever permitted to walk within their walls without some form of attack made against him? Retsu however was more famous as being his sole student rather than the fact she too shared this odd quality.

Before he had the privilege to enter and leave a Horde city on a mere whim, the man had spent considerable amount of time talking to adventurers and traders solely affiliated to the Horde in their very own tongues shockingly enough, orcish if the audience was mixed. Then by small leaps and bounds he started to enter the camps and settlements that saw little risk in a attack from the Alliance, it was a matter of time before he was familiar enough to the denizens of the Horde before he added another shocker to the list: he entered Thunder Bluff; he spoke to an amused Cairne Bloodhoof to top it off. According to the guards they were discussing philosophy of all things.

Through Cairne, Naruto had met and befriended Thrall and by extension Vol'jin though rumor was that he kept a wary eye on the human and his apprentice. Only herself and Lor'themar Theron, Regent Lord of Quel'Thalas, had never met him despite his visits upon their respective cities and his connections. Naruto didn't seem to take insult to this nor demanded their attention thankfully enough.

All in all, she supposed she shouldn't be surprised that someone like Naruto was at least asked.

While Sylvanas was beset by her thoughts, Jaina smiled as she came to the same conclusion to the identities of the last two members that were meant to guard them.

Naruto's status to the Alliance was rather mixed, especially when it was learned of his association with the Horde; depending on who was asked, Naruto was either suspicious or someone who one welcomed with open arms. Ironforge certainly was the latter, then again dwarves in general tend to befriend anyone component enough make a good drink or willing to share a barrel or two of their brews with as Brewfest tends to prove provided no one tried to make a mess of things. The gnomes generally accepted him when he sought to learn engineering.

The Exodar faction were certainly welcome to Naruto's ideology of what was called "The Wanderer's Way." Unfortunately they were a disappointed that Naruto did not share his techniques with any of the residents.

Darnassus however was relatively mixed. Though he got along with everyone else, and to a minor extent of Tyrande Whisperwind, he was always at odds with Fandral Staghelm and those who supported him in the Cenarion Circle."Something about him doesn't feel right," was Naruto's answer when questioned. Considering that druids in general have sway in Darnassus...

Stormwind wasn't sure about him as some sought to enlist him as an ambassador for his friendly attitudes, others thought him more of a risk than an asset. When the rightful king returned however, Naruto was kept at arm's length with a steady eye watching him when possible when he entered Stormwind by the guards...

Of course he wasn't held in such suspicion in Theramore. She actually met the monk when he first visited their island home, she wanted to know who was it that made a name amongst the Horde as... well, 'infamous' as it were for some people, on par with herself. Not many in the Alliance ever _willingly_ sat down to simply converse with a member of the Horde let alone enter their cities, then again Naruto didn't seem to pick sides to begin with.

She found him... interesting if not eccentric at times. Of course she wasn't sure what to expect to begin with. Was Naruto some sort of ragged man who could face an army of bears without flinching armed with only a jagged axe and a shield for protection for the sheer difficulty and lunacy of it? Was he some kind of noble acting out on a whim to such a absurd degree?

Someone who drags her into a drinking contest at the local inn after setting foot in it was certainly the last thing she would've expect, that was for sure. Unfortunately the same could be said for a specific habit he had taken up whenever he visited her in Theramore... and likewise any other city where the greatest danger that lurked was catching a cold.

"Hello! Sorry for keeping everyone waiting!" Naruto cheerily spoke, raising a segmented staff in hand to let it rest against his shoulder. Rangiku merely waved from behind him, and Retsu flashed her a heated suspicious glance at Rangiku before smiling at everyone and bowing.

At the other side, Kenpachi savagely smirked. At least he didn't have to watch over weaklings, always ruined his fun when he was on the job.

Yachiru perked up and grinned toothily as she waved and yelled back, "Hey Dandelion!" The reactions were simultaneous, Sylvanas raised a curious brow and Jaina's eyes bulged out as they both turned to the blond monk's stunned face as it was stuck in a show of horror. Without warning he clutched at his heart and toppled over backwards, jets of tears streaming down his face as he wailed in abrupt sorrow. "After all this time she still calls me "Dandelion?!" Oh what deity have I scorned to deserve such treatment?! Why couldn't it be something more unique like "Sun-man," or "Blondie?!" Anything but a flower which I am not!" He cried.

Rangiku knelt with armed with a sympathetic yet slightly mischievous smile as she reached out and patted the down monk on the shoulder. "You know," she spoke softly, "if you want I could help you-"

Before she could continue she was cut off by a very familiar voice its presence. "I'm sorry to interrupt your "act," but is it wise to play the fool in front of two important leaders on a dangerous mission Master?" Retsu questioned, earned a twitch from two different reasons from the two her attention was on with a rather calm smile...

"I suppose not," Naruto grumbled half heartedly before getting up. Sylvanas's brow twitched in aggravation whereas her Alliance counterpart puffed her cheeks to restrain a chuckle while shaking her head mildly at the younger blonds' antics in welcomed relief.

"Well now that we're all here, I say we get this party started!" Both leaders turned in mild horror when the giant orc lumbered away and went past the corner, his battle cry the chief evidence of his charge as Yachiru cheered him on.

"Halt right there!" A guard 's bellow resonated from down the hall. "You! Stop right where you are!" Another roared. "Wait, wait, wait!" _Thud! Smack! Crack! Smack!_ The first one's cry pierced the air. "My blood! He punched out all my blood!" The first screeched. "You call that breaking a spine?! You nonbeliever ladies wouldn't know how to break a spine-." _Snap!_ "Ah my spine!" The second guard cried as well!

Kenpachi's battle crazed cackle filled and slowly left the hallway as his boots stomped further down the hallway. "Does he not realize that this is to be a scouting opportunity, not a full fledged war?" Sylvanas growled out, her hands clenched and threatened to break her own fingers.

"Not to defend Kenpachi or anything, but I sincerely doubt that Tirion believed this had any chance of being subtle to begin with if he deliberately chosen Kenpachi for this." Sylvanas coolly turned to the speaker, though mildly calm all around, she was surprised to find Naruto somehow snuck up on her with a placating smile. Her red eyes narrowed slowly, accelerated to a diminutive degree as the distant echoes of Kenpachi's rampage and Yachiru's encouragement filtered back to them. "Would you care to elaborate yourself monk?" She asked calmly enough to mask her agitation from the scenario at hand.

Naruto's smile faltered a little and his eyes seem to dour the same way. He held up one finger, a preventative to anything she could say. "Consider this, we are sneaking into a stronghold meant to house at minimum a large army at any given time on a mere whim, which itself is unexplored to its enemies. And not one but two well known leaders of their enemies with a small entourage are attempting to sneak into said stronghold where no one can guarantee that all the defenders of it in any wing are eliminated, from there any survivors could very well escape and warn the others and ruin the option of stealth. There is also no guarantee that we will not encounter some kind of situation where stealth isn't even an option at all. With those possibilities and facts in mind, wouldn't you agree as a leader that someone on par with Kenpachi is almost mandatory considering who the opponent is at the end of the day should things go bad?"

Naruto steadily lowered his hand while Sylvanas' hand clenched once again...

"Well, may as well make sure those two haven't somehow entered a duel with the Lich King himself," the monk joked lightly as he walked away. Retsu silently following him, just ahead of a slightly annoyed Rangiku with Jaina soon following and bypassing the two to catch up with her fellow blond.

The Banshee Queen simply hung back. She was miffed at the subtle lecture she was given by the monk, who at most only joins sides that only concerns itself with the Alliance or Horde when they present a problem to them such as the Argent Crusade, who isn't associated with any form of military. It had its points, yes... She took a breath and expelled it gently. "It doesn't matter," she mutters as she follows them, content with keeping her distance. "Just as long as Arthas falls..."

XVX

Forge of Souls

"Aaaaayie!" A dwarf cultist yelps as he flies through the air, clinging by instinct to a skeletal mage out of need for any semblance of safety that was the ground, or pillar as the case was. Before he or the skeleton could react, a fist slammed slammed into the dwarf's back with enough force to knock both away and over the catwalk that made up the forge to which they plummeted to their doom with the former screaming for his life.

"Right, who's next?" Kenpachi roared with savage glee. Yachiru peeked out from his back and stuck her tongue out as she 'searched' for more enemies for Kenpachi to attack. "Oh, there' some guys Kenny!" She yelled out as she pointed to a group of cultists trying to get away without turning around. Kenpachi's everlasting grin got wider as he cracked his neck.

From far away on a previously 'cleared' catwalk, Rangiku whistled as she nudged a corpse. "I heard he was brutal, but I didn't think he would get so far head of us in a few minutes tops," she commented while ignoring the fresh batch of war cries and screams. "I can tell you one thing, the guy enjoys fighting more than he enjoyed living," replied Naruto as he stepped over another corpse, occasionally prodding one or two to make sure they were officially dead as can be.

"Get back here!" They all looked up to see cultist after cultist fleeing from a cone shaped structure with Kenpachi hot on their trail, his sword swinging wildly after them. Retsu closed her eyes and shook her head as she navigated through the corpses.

"Better catch up with him," Naruto mumbled as he stepped over another corpse. "I know you tend to travel around Naruto and undoubtedly met several people, but how exactly do you know Kenpachi Zaraki?" Jaina asked as she too navigated over the corpse laden path.

"I wouldn't mind telling you the story sometime but since we have to catch up with the crazy bastard-"

"Language," Retsu admonished.

"... with the war machine, suffice it to say we met at the Storm Peaks and he was itching for a fight. It is not a experience I wish to repeat again if I can help it."

"Oh? Who won?" Rangiku queried.

"I did, of course I had to get a rock to bash over his head to knock him out..." Naruto grumbled.

"Oh? Fists, chi, and your staff weren't enough to down him?" Jaina teasingly prodded.

"I managed to get a goblin to willingly give me discounts out of sympathy after reaping in the repair bill on my gear alone, what does that tell you?" he retorted.

Jaina and Rangiku paled a little. "Not to mention I had to sedate him for three weeks for bed rest," Retsu added freely without guilt. Naruto tripped and groaned after landing on the floor, "Please let me have my dignity Retsu!" From behind, Sylvanas smirked at Naruto's misery.

With Kenpachi

"Gah!" Another cultist was run through, quite literally too as a size twelve boot crushed his face, as Kenpachi raised his blade to finish off a cultist behind the flattened cultist. With one stroke, the sword rent though cloth and flesh like paper to a blade. He moved on without taking note of the lifeless cultist as another body crumpled into a heap.

He stops and looks behind him, nothing but walksways, that cone structure where some cultists were performing a ritual, and corpses as far as the eye could see. "Do you think we should wait for the other's Kenny?" Yachiru offered.

"Nah. They'll catch up." The orc trudged onto the second cone shaped structure the walkway led to, right to the room that held a lone human with glowing blue eyes and darkened skin dressed in red robes disturbed by a pattern of dark gray segmented by lines of blue that start from his collar in a narrow line no bigger than half his rib cage till it tapers outward as it pasts his waist. The same patterns could be observed on the sleeves of his robe where the forearm resides where the blue lines are forumlated in symbols rather than an actual pattern. Sitting on his shoulders were two silvery snake heads with jaws wide open with a orb of green light suspended in them, and strapped his back is a scythe.

"Finally... A captive audience!" A guillotine-like cullis slams behind the two death knights as well as the exit at the other side of the room. Kenpachi afforded a glance to the portal behind him before returning his gaze to the grinning man as he drew his scythe. "Yachiru." With a groan, the little girl hopped off the orc's back and scampered away.

"By yourself? Bold. Bold yet foolish," the man commented as his grip tightened. Kenpachi grinned darkly as he cracked his shoulders. "No, I just don't like fighting tough opponents with restrictions." Without further ado, he charged at the dark skinned man with his blade raised high. The cultist stepped back, letting the blade hit the floor with a bang, and swung his scythe down with the intent of claiming his arm. The clang of the scythe's blade on a raised vambrace forced the cultist to sneer when it failed to cut through.

"If that's the best you got, then perhaps I pegged you wrong from the get go," Kenpachi sneered. A fist slammed into the cultist's gut with enough force to power to not only let go of his scythe altogether but send him flying away from the gigantic orc. Resisting the urge to vomit, the cultist landed on his feet and wiped his mouth clean of a small trickle of blood as he glared at the death knight.

"I will sever your soul from your body!" he snarled and raised a hand glowing with dark energy. A bolt of purple lightning lashed out and hitting the death knight. "Oi, what's that weird feeling?" Kenpachi muttered. He raised a brow when a dark figure emerged from himself. He slashed at it without a thought, destroying it instantly. "As I thought, you aren't-"

A bolt of shadowy origin slammed into his head, knocking him onto his back. "Now that's more like it," he said with a savage grin. Pushing himself up, he lunged at the apparent sorcerer in time to miss him as he teleported to the opposite side to launch another shadow bolt at him. It failed to deter him, in fact it seemed to encourage him as the sorcerer teleported away once more to avoid the brute.

Just arriving outside the cullis gate, the rest of the team and their charges witness the battle between the death knight and sorcerer. Naruto reaches towards the gate and taps his staff, the reaction was almost instantaneous.

"Hi Dandelion!" Yachiru chirped, her head sticking out into view from the other side. "Yachiru, could you please figure out how to open this gate up and can you please at least find a new nick name for me?" The monk's brow twitched the whole time.

The young death knight simply smiled as she responded in the same cheery manner as before, "Nope!"

Naruto palmed his face as his apprentice sympathetically patted his shoulder. The sorcerer managed to retrieve his scythe and blocked a blow from the orc, though his arms were buckling from the strain.

"Now miss Kusajishi, though your friend seems to have this fight under control, wouldn't it be better to open the gate to render aid should your friend need it?" Jaina tried to reason.

"It's not going to work Jaina, she's too devious for that kind of reasoning..." Naruto mumbled.

"Dandelion's right Lady Blond! Besides, Kenny doesn't like it when people join in his fights!" The younger death knight disappeared, Kenpachi punched the side of the sorcerer's face, and Jaina blinked dumbly. "Lady Blond?"

"Welcome to the club."

Kenpachi jumped with a roar with the full intent on squishing his opponent underneath him, yet the dark skinned cultist teleported away once again. The orc landed with a grunt and turned to face the sorcerer once more to find him channeling a purple flame into his hand that glowed an almost pink hue at its core. A circular wall of a writhing, lurching white rose up from the floor and surrounded him at five paces in each direction. Narrowing his eye, he could almost make out forms in the wall before it started to spin... and spin... and spin at a increasingly faster pace with each revolution. A dark, malevolent chuckle arose from all around from the cultist as he spoke up. "The vortex of the harvest calls to you..." The walls started to close in around the orc.

Kenpachi's eye narrowed even further. He reached out a hand and tapped the vortex outstretched finger, only to withdraw it in haste with a sharp hiss of pain. It was like he was alive once more and had his finger sliced off with a heated knife. He gazed at his hand, physically it was fine...

He sighed and reached for his eye patch while muttering, "I was hoping to have more fun..."

The leer turned into shock on the cultist's face when something exploded inside the soulstorm of his making, something that was more than powerful enough to disrupt the swirling dead and dissipate it under its own power. There standing in the same spot he last saw him was the orc... without his eye patch, glowing in a confined aura of white hued power much like the soulstorm, staring right back at him with murderous intent in both eyes.

"What just happened?" Rangiku whimpered as she stared in likewise shock at the orc while he marched towards the gaping cultist.

"The reason I had trouble with Kenpachi by the end of our fight." Her head snapped to Naruto.

"According to him, that about two months before the betrayal by the Lick King Light's Hope Chapel a number of the death knights were experimented on to make them effective or at least give them some kind of edge in battle."

Kenpachi's sword was raised once more. "What exactly they were trying to accomplish with Kenpachi, not even Highlord Darion Mograine knows. But as you can see, whenever he takes off that eye patch of his, his power increases tenfold that he turns into a juggernaut in his own right. Unfortunately, or fortunately in his view, whatever they had done to him has deprived him of all his abilities as a death knight, thus he has to take on opponents the only way he knows how."

The scythe raised in defense did nothing to stop the life ending blow. "In the end, taking him on like this is as close to suicide as you can get if he wants you dead."

"Interesting. If he has so much power as you claim he does, why does he wear that eye patch all the time?" The monk glanced over at a impassive Sylvanas. "Because," he replied, "power always comes at a cost." Kenpachi donned the piece of leather over his eye once more, the aura surrounding him dissipating. "That," his katana shouldered once more, the behemoths walks away to the rising gate leading to the fortress' depths, "and he will drag out any fight with a worthy opponent if he can help it."

Kenpachi turned to look at everyone else sans Yachiru as she caught up with him. "You guys coming or what?" he asked, ignoring the other death knight as she climbed onto his back once again.

XVX

"I'm going to say it... that has to be the oddest thing I had ever seen." Kenpachi grunted in agreement.

"Do you think it might be a _headcase_?" Rangiku giggled softly.

"I have to say miss Matsumoto, that is a poor joke all things considered," Retsu reprimanded.

"Let's not get _ahead_ of ourselves Retsu," Naruto 'chided,' but was unable to contain the soft snicker.

"Master, please..." Naruto twitched.

"I don't know... think it got a _big head_ thanks to its job here?" Kenpachi snickered to himself.

"Let's not dally, we need to _head_ on out."

"Good one Blue!" Rangiku giggled unabated by the nickname.

Retsu pinched the bridge of her nose to ward off the headache mounting from the puns derived from the creature in the room before them. Whatever it was, it essentially amounted to a floating, sneering head of epic proportions. Whatever it was, it was blocking the only visible exit out of the Forge of Souls; an inactive portal archway lay just at the other side of the being.

"Right, shall we?" Kenpachi grinned. Rangiku pulled her bow taught. Naruto cracked his neck. Retsu sighed as she braced herself for the fight to come. Yachiru hopped off Kenpachi's back once more to stand by the leaders of the Alliance and Horde respectively.

The head growled at them as they approached...

**A/N: Sorry, I honestly have nothing for the Devourer of Souls. Reasoning: it wasn't interesting enough for me to put forth the effort.**

**You're probably wondering why I made Kenpachi Zaraki an orc and Rangiku an elf.**

**Kenpachi: Let's face it, he's intimidating and blood thirsty, qualities that are often associated with the orcs of Warcraft despite their change of heart thanks to Thrall though it started to resurface to a degree during Wrath of the Lich King thanks to Garrosh (admittedly I have no evidence towards this claim but if you pay some attention towards some of the more aggressive orc leaders during the Horde side of questing during and after this era, you kind of notice an increase in aggression for the Horde in general save for a few factions when Garrosh is involved somehow). Then we can consider the fact that the underlying history of the Horde is a bit of a mystery, what I mean is the clans that made it up are generally unknown other than the repeated few. I see no way to dispute the existence of a clan that was battle hungry to begin with given the fact that Outland is all but a chunk of what was the Horde's original home.**

**Rangiku: At first I was going to make her solely human, but somewhat inspired by considering orc Kenpachi's background I decided to make a more interesting tale. In case you're confused about Rangiku's ability to use Arcane Shot, she can't ****_cast_**** a spell; the way I see it, Arcane shot is a sprint compared to the run that is casting things like a Warlock's ****_Shadow Bolt_**** for example. As for Rangiku's "clinginess," I will talk about in later cchapters. Which reminds me...**

**_Spoiler:_**** Retsu has no romantic interest in Naruto.**

**If you're wondering why I am writing the story of Icecrown Citadel's "backdoor" as a general unknown, I found it suspicious that the featured leaders would have advance knowledge of what lay ahead when at most they had suspicions of their own regarding this place.**

**That's all I have to say for now since I have another story in due need of a new chapter. Untill next time...**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**


	8. Chapter 5, 'infiltration (part 2)'

**This story is meant for entertainment purposes, I otherwise would not put a disclaimer here for Naruto and Warcraft... (Sniffs) I kind of wish I owned the latter though. For added protection, I also add Bleach though it is in terms of characters only, not universe. I own not those three.**

**Kiue Jin: Kind of surprised you actually written a review to one of my stories, but still... YOU'RE A ALIVE! ... WRITE PATH OF THE DEMON ANYWAY! YOU HAVE A UNIQUE ADVANTAGE OVER THE REST OF US! That and I'm interested in where it goes.**

**To every other reviewer: Please limit yourselves in your reviews. If you feel like writing a review, I have no qualms about it (provided that it isn't a flame) but I consider it borderline abusive to write a review for each and every one of the chapters of my stories. This message is really meant for Sevenar, Dragonking20, and Kirk-Vamp-Fan and those like them, I don't mind reviews but do pace yourselves please; it's a bit disconcerting to find any sudden of influx of reviews only to find it came from only one person.**

Path of a monk

Chapter 5: To tell of a "infiltration," part 2

Pit of Saron

_Click._

_Click._

_Click._

A short flame bursts into flame, its waves gently licking a stick-like object. The flame was led to another stick-like object, and another before it was put out and let the sticks burn on their own with smoke rising loftily to attempt to ease the frigid and gloomy atmosphere. A pair of hands clapped twice, and a pair of heads gave a bow with their hands together in a meditative pose. Getting off the ground, Naruto and Retsu finally joined in with the others while bypassing the fallen coliseum champions that were converted into shells of what they once were and put down viciously in mere moments upon entering the Pit after the initial party arrived.

The deaths, reanimation, and eradication aside, Naruto in a small way was glad things turned out the way they have. They really didn't have to fear about being spotted or silencing a sentry that tried to getaway; the local Scourgelord, Tyrannus, made it evident upon his arrival and in his mocking of them with the liesurely massacre of the champions. In essence he did clear one thing in his hubris however, there was something at the end of the road, there was something worth placing a Scourgelord to stand as warden of it; of course he may also simply have been overseeing the mining operation of the Pit, either case would be beneficial either way if they disrupted the supply line.

Unfortunately they had to marshal an army if they were to get past Tyrannus, for he was given an army, mostly in laborers both slave and non, to carry out his duties much like any other commander of the undead. Fortunately, they didn't have to look far to find their army...

XVX

"Come on slow poke! You move like a dead badger, shame you don't smell as good!" Yachiru merrily laughed as a skeletal fist smacked the spot she was but a second before, she continued to chortle as the skeletal drudge chased her with a shovel. In its simple minded pursuit, several slaves snuck past the corpse on a mission as it passed by; in its pursuit it ignored the telltale clicks of chains and manacles being released as it chased the child while she ran amongst close by the living slaves that worked alongside it on a daily basis. Or rather used to...

Not too far off was Yachiru's known consort, Kenpachi, having the time of his 'life' as he laid into yet another Necromancer who tried to overpower him with mystic might compared to physical might... it did not end well for the Necromancer.

Not too far off, dealing with quantity over quality when compared to Kenpachi, was Naruto in a torrent of a green tornado spinning at speeds that would make anyone else easily fly into a wall in their own attempt. A new addition was added to Naruto's attire: goggles, red-orange goggles framing over a glowing purple piece of glass covering his right eye with targeting reticules inside it and two miniscule cylinders sticking out of its side; its opposite was odder, instead of a similar 'eye,' it was all but covered with five small scopes jutting out of it that held the same colored glass. As soon as he stopped spinning, he reached into his shirt and pulled out a pair of spiked bombs...

Hanging back from the two were the remaining members of their party, Retsu and Rangiku, who were distributing what aid they could respective to their own chosen paths. Though a number of arrows were let fly, Rangiku pouted as she found herself of little use to either combatant between the crazed swings, spinning, beatings, and explosives, the most help she could provide was to pepper whatever was chasing Yachiru time from time. As for Retsu, one didn't need to know her personally to know she wasn't enjoying the fighting in the least; though necessary, she'd rather resort to violence as a last resort and even then she tries to dissuade all but the most obstinate like the Scourge and the Iron Dwarves from fighting.

To Naruto, it wasn't surprising she took to being a Mistweaver like a fish to water with Windwalker training as a necessity and perspective. With debatable misfortune however, her skills were put to use mostly on the escaping slaves in need of treatment since Yachiru was simply to agile to be harmed, Rangiku managed to cut down anything that _did_ come their way with the aid of Haineko, said cat itself was with her mistress and Retsu when not called upon, her own master was more than proficient in dodging and healing himself as her experience reminded her, and Kenpachi...

"My spleen! I knew I should've became a Lich!" A Necromancer howled in agony as he tried to run away as he clutching a puncture though his robe. "Get back here!" the undead berserker orc roared out as he gave a short chase.

Kenpachi was fine on his own...

Other than helping the slaves as they retreated, the one duty Retsu Unohana had was un-cuffing slaves Yachiru hadn't got to yet do to the majority being in the proximity of the towering walls of ice and stone that was to be strip mined of the metal that lay underneath. A duty which led her to an interesting encounter as the others busied themselves.

By a small tent a human and an orc seemed to have been lounging about with a few feet separating them if not given the ball and chain for each, their guards most likely abandoning their posts to deal with the monk and death knight causing havoc. Both captives were typical of their race's appearance though each where pale in complexion, most likely from the lack of sunlight in Icecrown, with the human's hair being black and giving him a full face beard and mustache while his counterpart only had a beard of brown and what remained of his hair tied back at the back with a red-orange bandana. Both seem to be idly noticing the battle being waged while staring at each other wordlessly; they seemed to have been lost in their own world to not acknowledge the smile and bow of Retsu as she approached, perhaps her presence all together was unnoticed between the two, which was supported by their shocked visages when they found themselves free of their chains. At least they had the decency to look embarrassed as they got up.

Retsu however tensed under her robes when the two marched towards each other, her breath hitched slightly when they stopped in front of the other. They seemed to have ignored everything once again as they entered their own world while staring at their respective counterpart. Retsu watched on, unmoving as they were,

_Clap!_

The two, out of nowhere, the two hand the other's hands in a handshake that threatened to crush the opposite's hand while they sternly stared at each other in an unspoken agreement between them.

Peering past the orc, the human looked to Retsu. "We thank you for the help miss, but may I ask who you are and what brings you here?" The orc turned away from the human as well to peer on the other.

Retsu smiled and gave them a polite bow, all the while casting a glance to make sure things were the way they should be: Kenpachi having to chase down fleeing cultists while fighting vrykul of the frost variety, check. Her master was striking one of said vrykul with chi orientated jade colored lightning as he charged at him with a spear raised, which when he did slice into her master's flesh, the vrykul was sent hurtling into the nearby pit while it screamed in surprise and terror; got to love Crackling Jade Lightning... Naruto was still alive, check. Rangiku was also alive, yet couldn't do much considering the first two, check. Yachiru...

"How'd she kidnap a Proto-Drake?" she inwardly asked herself as the younger looking death knight cackled in delight as her new pet flying around the dug out crater in the ground with a skeleton eagerly trying to escape the brutish dragon's jaws. Otherwise, check...

Casting the odd scene out of her mind, she finally answered the human 'captive's' question. "I am Retsu Unohana, and my team and I are here on behalf of Tirion Fordring to explore and route out any secrets or passages in the Citadel that the Argent Crusade should be made aware of before it can begin its assault on the Citadel proper. As of the moment we're trying to enlist what help we can to put an end to the Scourgelord and by consequence this facility. Would either of you by chance know where are skills would have the most use in?"

"Ah, the Traveler's apprentice." The orc saluted. "I am Gorkun Ironskull, and I can tell you a number of the slaves here are itching to claim vengeance upon the Scourge. If you're group would travel that-"

Gorkun dropped his jaw as he pointed towards the exact route Retsu's party was already taking, though he wasn't sure if it was from the carnage being wrought or that a little girl somehow commandeered a drake from the vrykul. "Uh..." he intelligently said. "Right... if you would be so kind as to take out the Forgemaster, Garfrost, we can arm themselves and help you with the Scourgelord." Though the request was spoken, the shock robbed him of the command he once had over his voice.

"How'd a little girl steal a dragon?!" the human exclaimed, his own eyes gaping. "Get 'em Fluffykins!" Yachiru commanded, doing no justice to the dumbstruck below. In the distance, Retsu could almost hear Naruto cackle about it; most likely about the nickname the dragon must bear.

"I thank you for the advice, is there anything else?" Retsu asked calmly, hopping to coax either out of their stupor. "Uh... what? Oh, yes!" the human cleared his throat. "Martin Victus ma'am," he saluted as well. "I agree with Gorkun but I would also suggest taking out the gnome atop the undead monstrosity by the ramp leading the Scourgelord's tier. Krick, I think his name is. He's a overseer of the Pit of Saron, so it might benefit you if you take him out in terms of leadership. Now if you would excuse us, we have an army to rally." Retsu nodded as she watched them go, both of whom were occasionally looking back to confirm there was indeed a little girl riding on a dragon...

XVX

While it would seem odd to those unaffiliated to The Scourge, the undead do have personal quirks themselves in which they enact on from time to time. Lichs in general are known to do crossword puzzles to pass the time, Cultists tend to gather for poker when time has been made, and for Garfrost, it was humming. No specific tune was hummed so long as it disrupted the monotony of the workplace; even the dead, especially the sentient kind, and those who worship the Lich King need some kind of distraction from day-to-day life as they knew it.

The throaty tune that Garfrost hummed was interrupted when a explosion equivalent to a pebble pelted his back as he stood before the forge rivaling his own size. A trio of explosions pelted him once again along the back, further solidifying the need to investigate this disturbance. Slowly turning to look past his shoulder, just in time for another set of explosions to cloud his vision; explosives being carried by arrows to be specific, not that it mattered to the frosted flesh giant.

With an annoyed howl, he swiped away the smoke blocking his vision and reached to the wall. His fingers soon found purchase on the handle of an axe befitting his size. As soon as he set eyes upon the group harassing him, he started to lumber towards them. "Tiny creatures under feet, you bring Garfrost something good to eat!" he rumbled with a wicked grin despite his bare bone smile.

"Well... now we know it is Garfrost..." Naruto mumbled.

"I wasn't expecting him to rhyme..." Rangiku commented.

"Dibs!" Kenpachi shouted as he charged with sword drawn.

Rangiku drawn back her bow and fired, a trap with a blue shard of ice with twin currents of energy swirling about it prepared itself a pace before Garfrost's foot would descend upon it. When it did, the giant was forced to stumble and halt least he fall over on ground that became much too slick; it was an opportunity not wasted.

Garfrost was beset on multiple fronts: An orc was hacking at his feet, something latched onto his leg and was climbing up it, and the elf with the bow was pelting him with some kind of explosive arrows with more elemental ones mixed in for variety. Yet what really caught his attention was that a proto-drake was hovering a few feet from his face, a proto-drake with a little girl for a master that was pulling down the lid of her eye while sticking her tongue out at him. It was so unusual that he was actually ignoring the other three attackers so he could focus his attention on swatting the two out of the sky.

Yachiru giggled as the giant's hand came hurtling at them, only to be deftly avoided by the drake with the handicap that Garfrost was too big to be considered stealthy by any means. He swung again, once again her missed, his aggravation was further heightened when the duo came face to face where he could undoubtedly hear the death knight raspberrying him. Hoping she wouldn't notice, Garfrost gripped his axe with both hands behind her, flipped it to have the broad side facing him, and swung!

It was as if she was planning it all along when the giant's axe met the giant's face. Yachiru cackled gleefully as Garfrost hit himself with enough force to send him toppling onto his back with an "oof!"

"He actually fell for it!" she chortled, indeed it was planned...

Meanwhile Naruto was running along the fallen and dazed giant's chest, armed with a bag of bombs, saronite bombs no less, and deposited the contents onto the Forgemaster's face before leaping off. Howling in both annoyed fury and pain, Garfrost arose from the ground and dashed towards the forge, leaving his attackers behind. "Garfrost tired of puny mortals," he rumbled as he nearly ripped off lever after lever as he reached for the stacks of saronite that lounged near it, his axe left abandoned at his feet. Pounding something with his fists at first, he takes a hammer and pounds some more, the clang of metal echoing like thunder in his fury. "Axe to weak... sword no good..." he mumbled to himself as he bent the saronite to his will. "Now you're bones will freeze!" he roared as he faced them once more, his axe replaced by a ice blue mace with four wings, the space between each wing empty save for a glowing base between them.

He charged once more... only for the injustice done upon him before to happen upon him once again, minus the fortune of steadying himself like before. He toppled onto his stomach due to the slick ice his foot found little purchase on. Kenpachi raced towards the head of the fallen giant, yet Naruto beats him to it.

Fist after fist wailed on Garfrost's skull in a heated flurry, each one landing on a specific spot if the growing indent was an indicator. Rolling back, Naruto hung his arms back to his left side. In a matter of seconds a black and blue fog-like condensed around his outstretched limbs as they collected into a ball between his palms. With a grunt, the orb was lobbed at the damaged skull of Garfrost, and sequentially exploded; a sizable chunk of Garfrost's skull was destroyed and in another howl of agony the giant rose up, his hand clutching his head protectively.

While still clutching his head, Garfrost brought his mace to bear against the mob with the full might of his undead strength. Naruto rolled back once more to avoid being crushed, and again when his hand came down on him to do what the mace didn't. Unbeknownst to the Forgemaster, Rangiku had a clear line of sight of the exposed skull and what lay beneath it.

She notched three arrows, each one laden with a specially made grenade courtesy of her monk companion. There was a nifty trick she had come to learn about the undead in general, in which it was a grand weakness for non-rank-and-file undead such as flesh giants, more flesh based opponents requires their brains to operate. While true there was the skeletons and the like, but there was a reason they didn't have either flesh or muscle still attached to them; without a working nervous system, things like muscles and tendons were more of a hindrance than a benefit, let alone fatal.

Skeletons and Lichs were physically frail unless reinforced by one means or another such as an enchantment or armor, light weight armor specifically or close to it such as pauldrons and the like since bones can only handle so much stress. Literally meatier undead however are the exact opposite but share their own brand of weaknesses, in short their brains and otherwise their entire nervous system where enchantments and the will of the necromancer was the key to a skeleton's mobility let alone usefulness. Flesh for the undead was a mix between armor and a weapon that granted a significant boon toward hand to hand combat, yet at best it was weighted armor that slowed a ghoul or likewise creature down if the muscles cannot respond properly let alone trip the creature up.

Beings like flesh giants and abominations were essentially lichs in reverse with a few alterations other than the obvious, lacking magical prowess in exchange for brutal might save for the types that were specifically altered; but while lichs are capable of hiding and coming back in terms of a permanent death, their hardier comrades didn't have such a benefit. There was a reason aiming for the head was a popular method for the range types when it came to the agents of The Scourge; existence depended on a functioning mind.

Rangiku let the arrows fly into the crevice of Garfrost's skull. The sudden clash of thunder and flames erupted from both the gash in the bone and the giant's exposed eye socket, and Garfrost collapsed onto the ground in soundless pain.

The sound of wings beating drew everyone's attention to the Scourgelord, Tyrannus, sitting atop his undead dragon dressed in his spiked ebony armor with the skull on the right shoulder with glowing blue eyes, and his own glowing eyes glaring out from under his crowned helm shaped like a trident converging till the three spikes nearly touched as they pointed straight up.

"Another shall take his place. You waste your time," he sneered. His glare narrowed on Yachiru atop the stolen proto-drake. With a wave of the arm, a bolt of energy whooshed out and latched onto the drake.

It screamed in agony and fought to escape, Yachiru clung onto dear life as the drake panicked and thrashed to save its life. The Scourgelord scoffed and let the drake go, briefly watching it fall to the ground below before he and his own drake departed to his tier.

It was upon the crash of the proto-drake that the gathered army of slaves arrived. "The Frogemaster is dead!" Martin proclaimed. "Let's get geared up men, we have a-"

The sudden outburst of foul energy, a death knight's power, erupted from the corpse of a drake as Yachiru emerged from the crumpled form of the former mount. Her eyes glistening with rage as she hoarsely spoke out, "No one... _no one_ kills one of my pets for sport! Especially Fluffykins!" With a scream, she charged forth and surprisingly, yet somehow easily, barreled through several of the slaves as she stormed away from the forge area, with Kenpachi in hot pursuit of her.

Blinking, Gorkun brought his hands to hise mouth to shout out a piece of advice, "Aim her at the gnome! That should help calm her down!"

Martin blinked and shouted out an amendment, "The one pink mowhawk! Not our guys!"

Out of sight of everyone, a gnome with a pink mustache strapped a bucket to his head and whistled nervously. Another leaned in and whispered into his ear, "I told you that mohawk is a bad style."

"Shut up," the first mumbled.

XVX

Three minutes later

"I'll tell you anything, just keep her away from me! Keep her away!" screamed Krick.

Death knights in general were bad enough. They are, or were, considered the shock troops for the Scourge for a reason. Gnomes, no matter how comical in their appearance, were just as dangerous. Little girls however, a little human girl no less, however seemed to have slipped his mind and now Ick was paying the price in his place.

Poor bastard...

If Krick wasn't begging for clemency, he would be wondering how it was possible that a child turned death knight was capable of ripping apart a plague eruptor. Surely a non-full grown _anything_ was capable of making tossing Ick about like a rag doll in between manic stabbing sessions.

"Aaaaaaargh!"

Then again she _was_ mad...

Ick died shortly a minute before and she was _still_ bullying the corpse of a corpse.

Again, poor bastard...

So here he was, hiding behind a stack of saronite bars, being stared down by the lesser of three evils, Jaina Proudmoore. Sylvanas Windrunner wasn't too far away.

"Do not believe me nor my comrades are naive enough to believe your appeal for clemency, but I will listen." Krick gulped, to his ears it was almost like a squall of doom despite her even tone.

"What you seek is in the master's lair, but you must destroy Tyrannus to gain entry. Within the Halls of Reflection you will find Frostmourne. It... holds the truth!" he all but screeched as he nervously glanced at the younger death knight as she tried to pry a sword out of Ick's skull.

His cowering increased tenfold when he learned of Sylvanas' presence was endangering what escape routes he had available as she glared dagger at him. His thoughts briefly flirted with joining Ick instead of learning what the Banshee Queen had in store for him.

"The Lich King is never without his blade. If you are lying..."

Krick shuddered, it was like he had just jumped into a frozen lake and his one means to leave was blocked.

"It's the truth! I swear it! Please don't-"

"You worthless gnat! Death is all that awaits you!" The gnome grabbed at his throat to save himself while he was forced to levitate off the ground. Yet as he struggled, it was futile as the Scourgelord hovered from above on his dragon with a dark claw outstretched to strangle his weakling of a subordinate. Flicking his wrist, the gnome was sent hurtling to his doom in the carved out pit.

Turning his attention to the gathered party below, he sneered at them once more. "Do not think I will permit you entry into my master's domain so easily! Pursue me if you dare."

Naruto closed his eyes as he shook his head as the Scourgelord departed once again. Nearby, Kenapchi held up a growling Yachiru with one hand while she sharpened her swords with the blades themselves as the sharpening stones.

"Huh, another area to barge into eh?" Rangiku idly commented.

"It would appear so," Retsu offered.

Meanwhile, with the faction leaders...

"A fitting end for a traitor," the Banshee Queen remarked as she passed by her frowning counterpart. "I'd rather say it was a cruel end," Jaina commented. Sylvanas derisively snorted as she kept walking away.

"Frostmourne," Jaina murmured. Sylvanas' ear twitched against her will at the name.

"If we can seperate Arthas from Frostmourne, we might stand a chance..."

The ominous crunch of ice drew her attention to Sylvanas as she glared at her with a singular turned eye that embodied the underlying fury beneath the otherwise calm exterior. Jaina actually cringed a little under the heated gaze.

"A chance for what?" Sylvanas calmly asked. Upon hearing no answer, she turned around to face her fully. "A chance for you to be reunited with your 'lost love?'" The Lady of The Forsaken slowly advanced towards the living human. "Are you hoping that somehow you could redeem that monster that was once a man?" Jaina gripped her staff as the former elf continued her approuch, her fingers biting into the wood by a small margin. "Your paladin, your prince, your _love_ deliberately cast aside his humanity for power."

"He had no qualms in murdering his father, his people, and anything that stood in his way. He invaded my home, slaughtered my people, slain me, turned me into a _wretch_ of what I once was, and utilized the Sunwell for his own ends." Though her voice was never raised and her tone never faltered, yet it was like she was snarling at Jaina in the mage's point of view.

"He is nothing less than a monster that he warped himself onto. He deserves nothing less than the agony that he bestowed onto others," Sylvanas finished in both advance is say, her glare was unending however.

Jaina glared back as she steadily drew breath. "Is it wrong for me to try to redeem him from the evil that he has done? Is it wrong for me to try to find the last vestiges of the good that was a part of him?"

"Does he even deserve such kindness?" the leader of the Forsaken asked. The lids of Sylvanas' eyes narrowed as the glare intensified at a silent reply from Jaina's own glare reinforced with the hopes of a farfetched dream.

The dull clack of a staff brought them out of their contest of wills, both leaders bearing witness to the more experienced of the two monks with his goggles pushed up to stare at them with a disapproving stare and a small frown, his apprentice not too far behind him in a more stoic version of his own look and acting as a human shield to a mildly agitated Rangiku. Sylvanas scowled and turned away, silently trotting away from them. Jaina closed her eyes and bowed her head, suppressing a tired sigh.

The dull clack of the staff was the only indicator that her fellow blond was on the move, and he was closing in. She dully smiled as he patted her shoulder not once but twice in his own version of asking how someone was, a strange but sometimes comforting gesture he utilized when someone was in some kind of distress should they be familiar with him and his habits.

"I'm fine..." she said without opening her eyes. Once again the dull clacking permeated her ears, though he was departing this time.

"Hey... Naruto?" The clacking stopped.

"Is it wrong that I still hope against hope that somewhere, Arthas is still there? That he can be saved?"

The wind blew softly.

"I think it would be a dim world if no one made a attempt to save someone or something, even going so far as to risk their life to try." Once again the clacking picked up, muting the continuation from Jaina as he left. "Just don't do it recklessly," he shuddered as memories of the Cathedral of Darkness during Tirion's gambit resurfaced... they just got lucky.

The monk sighed as he shouldered his staff as he looked ahead. Not too far ahead of him was the earthen ramp leading to the overlook above, undoubtedly guarded by Tyrannus and his risen drake. Beyond the ramp was the leader of the Forsaken seemingly scrutinizing every detail of the gathered army of slaves that represented the opposing factions beyond the reach of the Pit of Saron, unsurprisingly she kept her distance from her one time allies in life; the ragtag army, enhanced by the somewhat terrifying production levels of the forge Garfrost once lorded over, seemed ill at ease with one another, but placid towards each other at best thanks to the ordeals they were forced through and the camaraderie their respective commanders seemed to have shared. A few seemed to intermingled with each other as Naruto looked closely.

Glancing to the side, Kenpachi was still holding a fuming Yachiru... glancing towards Ick, he  
couldn't help but pity... the poor bastard. Well he at least died for a, relatively, good cause: calming her down. Kenpachi was already danger by himself...

Cracking his neck with a sigh, Naruto's attention turned to the winding path leading up to the tier. The seemingly clear winding path...

A pair of fingers draw his goggles back down.

XVX

Tyrannus' tier

A full set of fingers drummed Rimefang's makeshift harness. Minutes before he had exhausted a inconsequential amount of his power to raise more minions to the slaughter, though they seemed to serve more as a means to slogan their advance. Rimefang's breath did little more than shake the tunnel leading to the Halls he was charged with protecting. It was only a matter of time before they would come to him, a little longer till this... insurrection, invasion, whatever it would be called was dealt with. Though for a time he would be forced to deal with extra duties impressed upon him thanks to his underling's failures, it wouldn't take long to replace Krick to oversee the mining and the duty of translocation while Garfrost's post was taken by a new Forgemaster; ultimately everyone in The Scourge was replaceable...

A chilling thought struck him without warning, he was replaceable as well. The Scourgelord shook his head.

Impossible. As if maggots like them could bring him down. He is a Scourgelord! A death knight still loyal to the true king of the world! Garfrost was incompetent outside his forging duties, Krick was a known coward! He wasn't either of them. He was their superior for a reason.

His glare heightened as the 'heroes' proved they survived the ordeal of the tunnel, followed by the delusional slaves. "Do they really think they stand a chance?" the undead lord asked only himself. They were but worms to him that only had the advantage of not needing maintenance like his drudges as they mined the walls. It was time to prove himself once more as to why he was chosen to guard this quarry and passageway.

Failure wasn't an option.

The Scourgelord smirked however as Rimefang began his descent. "Alas brave adventurers, your meddling has reaches its end." Every word was laced with condescension, his smug attitude wasn't even remotely tamed. "Do you hear the clatter of bone and steel coming up the tunnel behind you? That is the sound of your impending demise." He chuckled. His power wasn't simply wasted to attack them from one front after all, he'd never be a Scourgelord for such simple-minded tactics after all. It was almost akin to a blessing that Orbaz Bloodbane didn't see past his own desires and the opportunities that lead to it.

Good riddance to such a pest.

He shook his head when the rabble army engaged the charging horde of minions he called to existence. It was amusing to think that a poultry number of five could best him. "Such an amusing gesture from the rabble. When I'm done with you-"

He blinked when he caught sight of one of the 'heroes' tossing something at him, clearing past the beating wings of Rimefang as well as the drake's shoulder. Upon realizing what it was, he raised his arm to shield his eyes the best he can. His reaction was reward with a fiery explosion licking his armored limb as well as shards of shrapnel embedding themselves into the armor itself as well as riddling the chest and his helmet, Rimefang roared as the flames and debris wrecked more havoc on the animated dragon than the rider; it was more painful yet not crippling.

Grunting an annoyed grunt, he jumped down to the ground below to face the adventurers while brandishing a mace much like Garfrost's yet its size declared for its use of two hands rather than one.

Harrumphing in contempt, he faced the adventurers and already counted one missing from their group. The pink haired one that was riding the drake, the one who mauled Krick's only means of transport and intimidation since he lacked most qualities a death knight had in favor of pursuing the finer points of necromancy and alchemy, the other failure of a death knight alongside the orc.

It mattered not if she played a part or not, surprising as her abilities were she wasn't a threat to him. Nor-

An agonized roar alerted Tyrannus to Rimefang's distress. The drake was flying above perilously even by The Scourge's standards as something was crawling along its ribs and limbs with a drawn sword... Tyrannus growled in frustration as he realized the smallest of the three present death knights _somehow_ slipped by him and latched herself to his mount; her miniscule attempts to harm Rimefang were most likely out of revenge for that proto-drake he killed.

"I wouldn't take my eyes off my enemies if I were you!"

His head snapped back to witness Kenpachi bearing down on him with his sword raised to cleave him through. Acting fast, the undead lord cocked a underhanded fist and punched the oversized orc away as testiment to his own strength in The Scourge.

He scowled as he spotted movement to his right. It was the blond one aiming a kick at him, yet what was most interesting was that the swing was forming a dark purple energy that was swung at him. He raised an arm to block and was forced to grunt as the impact proved greater than he expected. The blond kicked at him again, the same energy as before coming straight at him.

He turned to face it head on, mace raised to counter the fast approuching wave, yet to his displeasure an arrow followed by several of its kin attacked him from behind, forcing him to lose his footing as some bounced off his armor while the more sure shot ones actually pierce into his body and making him take the brunt of the impact from the blond haired monk.

To add insult to injury, the human took his staff and struck at him along his shoulder. It was felt. Arrows were one matter given the bow type as well as the arrows, but something like a staff should've been blocked entirely. A mace punching through was a more dignified blow! Acting upon this insult to him, he made to attack the staff user when a cackle rattled through his helmet. A blade slashed at his back. Twirling himself to face his unseen attacker, his back was met by the upturned feet of the monk who had struck him again with the energy he couldn't identify. Sequentially he was forced into yet another blow from the orc death knight that he had cast away earlier.

His chestplate was hacked into. In his mounting fury, the mace came at Kenpachi with the vengeance of his position. Kenpachi raised his own arm to block the monstrous mace; his face contorted between a sickening grin of battle and the grimace of feeling his bones shattering under the mace's minutely dulled momentum as it smacked his arm, went pasted it, and smacked the death knight himself to send him skidded away. His grin got wider when Tyrannus pressed the assault, doing his best to ignore Rangiku and Naruto as they laid their own attacks onto him.

A ball of light materialized over the orc, a fact Tyrannus only noted as mace met sword, the sword giving way slightly thanks to the mace's mass. The monk's punches and kicks, the hunter's arrows as they continued to assault him, even Rimefang's infuriated howls as the diminutive death knight continued to stab at him, they were nothing to his focused rage. Pushing the sword back, he raised to swing again. Before he could let it descend, the orc's useless hand sprung to life and clocked his armor coated chin.

Tyrannus staggered back, his plated boot scraping against some sort of petal that erupted in flames, his other boot scrapping against a metal object that clamped itself shut around his leg till it dissipated into an angered family of snakes that nipped at him.

"Enough!" he snarled, a pulse of dark and unholy energy lashed out of his body. Naruto rolled away while Kenpachi assailed into the Scourgelord as before, seemingly uncaring about the change, uncaring that the commander of the pit's size as it increased to dwarf himself. Any realization of his predicament came as sudden as the backhand that sent him flying to the Scourgelord's left.

"Unlike you and your misbegotten ilk, orc, I'm a perfected version of converting unholy energy into pure strength," he sneered while turning about to pursue Kenpachi. Rangiku's barrage seemed to be on par with rain drops with his deliberate ignorance of them now. Even a Chi Burst, a large ball of concentrated chi, from Naruto didn't garner his attention as he slowly advanced upon the orc as he gathered his wits.

"It's only fitting that the lesser quality experiments like yourself are wiped out, though it disgusts me that it has fallen upon me to take on such a tedious task," Tyrannus reprove from afar. "Make it easier upon us all and die within the next few minutes so your pathetic existence no longer grates our lord's nerves."

Chuckling was his response, chuckling that slowly morphed into a cackle from an amused Kenpachi. "Oh, so you're one of _those_ guys." Tyrannus continued to march towards him wordlessly. "You know, I fought a lot of guys like you before and after I became a death knight: the kind of guy that believes themselves the better than everyone else save for the ones who you can't ignore, and anything else is nothing but a insult to you."

Kenpachi's grin becomes more sadistic. "Frankly I don't really give a damn about you guys and your beliefs. All I care about..." His healed hand reaches for his eye patch. "Is a fight that's given your all!"

Tyrannus' advance was abated when Kenpachi's limiter was torn off, forcing a explosion of the spiritual kind to erupt from the orc. With an experienced hand, Kenpachi launched himself at the Scourgelord, sword poised to slash at him. With a derisive "humph," he raised his mace to block; his jaw slackened in a gape as the jagged katana _cut_ into his mace, furthermore his loose grip caused him to be attacked by the dull thump of his own mace slamming into his plated armor.

Kenpachi reared his fist back and lashed out much like the Scourgelord had done to him, achieving the same results as Tyrannus had earned when he had struck Kenpachi.

Meanwhile, Sylvanas sat cross legged atop an outcropping of the nearby mountain that served as a barrier and wall to the battlefield alone. Though she did not have a good view of the gathered armies tearing into each other, it mattered little compared to the more interesting fight between the guardians to this expedition and the Scourgelord. She almost smirked at the paradox of it all: where entire armies lay into each other, small groups change the world more often than not if not the course of a war. It happened so much both in the past and the present: Lady Katrana Prestor exposed as Onyxia and as the saboteur of Stormwind in Varian's absence in both body and mind, later killed in her own lair. Illidan Stormrage, former demon hunter and brother of Malfurion Stormrage, slain within the confines of his seat of power. Keal'thas Sunstrider, the traitor prince of the blood elves, died not once but twice both in Outland and in the isle of Quel'Danas where again another small group, perhaps the very same group in Keal'thas' defeats and eventual death, prevented the Sunwell from being despoiled once more to summon Kil'Jaeden; ironically the more treacherous actions of the fallen elf bore fruit for the blood elves after he stolen the Naaru that was held captive in Silvermoon that too was defeated after being corrupted within walking distance of the Sunwell, the prophet the draenei utilized the remains of the Naaru to revitilized the Sunwell and end the crippling addiction her former species had to endure.

She shook her head at the list that threatened to overwhelm her. Nevertheless, it almost questioned the point of having an army when a group of five-to-forty- can do what others couldn't.

Her attention was brought back to the fight below with the two death knights were locked in battle. She raised a elongated brow as the Scourgelord retreated from his orc counterpart, he was even shrinking. "Perhaps," she thought, "he isn't the perfected version of what Kenpachi's ability is..." Her eye narrowed as she noticed a small detail despite the distance.

Kenpachi's arm was starting to blister and tear. "Or perhaps he's the limited version of the orc," she mused to herself. Power came with a price indeed. She watched on as the two continued to dance their dance of death, accompanied by Naruto and aided by Rangiku, all the while the orc's epidermis was slowly coming apart. It would seem that Kenpachi's power threatened to kill him if his enemies should fail that task, making it a fairly good reason to be forced to bear a limiter of some fashion; perhaps he even chose the eye patch to keep people from guessing its purpose. A ring or necklace or like-wise trinket was a common form to enhance or restrict one's abilities after all.

Slipping away from Jaina was proving to be a benefit after all, perhaps she should thank those Crusaders that came for distracting her, not to mention themselves, long enough to depart without contest. However, she didn't come to spy on the death knights.

It was the monks she was more interested in.

There was only so much one can do with information gathered by rumor and hearsay, and she never met either monk until the Argent Crusade attacked the Citadel. Such unusual abilities they employed.

It was obvious Naruto relied more on his fists than anything else, indicating his style was primarily hand based, yet it was supplemented by the more energy based attacks let alone the strange ability to make flowers. The chi empowered attacks. What chi was exactly, she wasn't sure, but didn't seem to be something to be scoffed at as the Scourgelord had arrogantly proven when he tried to block it earlier.

Naruto rolled away from a blow aimed for him as Tyrannus tried to stave off the empowered Kenpachi. Sylvanas tilted her head in thought. Perhaps were trained more to dodge than withstand a blow, it made sense considering Naruto's lack of real protection outside of the goggles.

Her eye turned to the monk's apprentice, Retsu. Offense seemed to be only one aspect to a monk judging Retsu's demeanor. Her hands glowed green whenever she brought them up, and a mist of green energy flowed away from her to aid whomever needed it. If Sylvanas had to guess, monks could train themselves to heal others as made evident from Kenpachi's use of a previously useless limb.

Interesting...

Her eyes flicked over to Kenpachi, Naruto, and Tyrannus on his last legs. Once more Kenpachi's sword was raised, his arm however has degraded to the muscle beneath the skin. It was the end of Tyrannus.

A roar drew the Banshee Queen's attention to the drake. Yachiru was shaken off and was plummeting . Sylvanas' brow arched higher however when it was Retsu who took action, most likely because she was the closer of the two that had their distance from the fight.

Shucking her robe off, she revealed that she too carried a katana-like sword, one sheathed in a simple scabbard at that, sporting a red handle and oval guard. Rather than unsheathing her sword, she tossed it forward and chased after it.

It flipped end over end before landing on the scabbard's end, and Retsu's flying foot landing on the handle's end. With a leap, she rocketed towards Yachiru, caught her, and landed with a roll with the smaller death knight in her clutch.

Sylvanas tilted her head upon hearing a complaint from Yachiru. "Aw... You didn't get a perfect score!" Risking a glance, her own hand threatened to palm her face in defense of the absurdity below: their respective partners were holding up large cue cards.

Kenpachi gave a ten.

Naruto gave a nine-point-nine.

Tyrannus gave a ten...

Blinking, she gave them another look.

Correction: a deceased, the permanent kind, Scourgelord's hand was being held up by a all too 'innocent' Naruto while clutching a cue card giving Retsu a ten. The face palm could no longer be averted for the Banshee Queen.

XVX

If he could, Naruto as well as Retsu would be enjoy the scene of two sides cheering and applauding the other. However business came before pleasure... unfortunately.

"Please pardon our tardiness, I am Kaname Tosen. We have been sent by Lord Fordring to assist you where we can," a dark skinned man said as he gave a bow. He was wearing the tabard of the Argent Crusade on him. His garb was rather plainly designed plate armor with silvery trimming around the edges of each segment. His pauldrons by far was the most ornate of his armor with the blue spheres embedded in them, and the silver trimming circling around it to divide the armor in halves length-wise. His dark hair was pulled back into a low pony-tail tied up by a white scrunchie, easily parting his hair to reveal a equally white cloth wrapped around his eyes.

Accompanying him were a total of four Crusaders dressed much like the ones that guarded the hallway leading to the Forge of Souls (Argent Commander). Instead of being armed with solely maces, two of them were armed with claymores, another with a pole axe, only one had the mace and shield while Kaname Tosen was only armed with a broadsword with a blood groove running through the length of the sword.

Naruto smiled despite the fact Kaname couldn't see it. "Well none of us are dead, so we have no reason to complain about you being late!"

Kaname only nodded in acknowledgement.

"Take cover!"

Before he could process what the shout was about, he was violently pulled into the corridor carved into the mountain. The same one Tyrannus was guarding. A wave of freezing ice assailed a erected barrier before dissipating to reveal the carnage left behind; the army that had arrived was brought to only a dozen or so in number, all of which were mages left behind in shock as personal barriers of ice melted away.

The leader of Theramore numbly stumbled forward in shock. Her jaw trying to work out a word, a syllable, anything to prove she could speak. A hand jolted her to look at a Naruto shaking his head slowly, mouthing the word "breath."

Four of the five paladins that joined them walked past to perform last rights least they suffer the fate that many were forced to have in The Scourge, and if possible save any survivors if there were any.

Sylvanas's gaze switched over to Kaname Tosen, the only one who stayed back with them as his compatriots rushed to the scene before them. He was a paladin, was he not? The residual holy energy emitting from him proved that much. Perhaps he didn't venture out if he was indeed blind and thus would have a hard time to find the more isolated bodies, yet under that same fact of being blind, presumably, raises the question of his ability to fight. Blind soldiers were not unheard of but it didn't mean doubts were erased when they proved themselves more than once. They were always an issue of controversy no matter the order they served and their records of service.

Regardless...

The Forsaken's favored queen's eye went past the blind paladin to the hall behind him. Answers, that is what lays beyond him. She had to hold back a condescending smirk. There was only one real answer she cared about. The question that goes to it was never hidden from anyone who knows of her.

Salvation was not a fate for Arthas if she had a say in it.

**A/N: I had intended this chapter to be longer but I felt that I took a bit too much time with this chapter as is even with the work I had to do.**

**To those who I may have confused by accident about the flesh/giant/lich bit, here is what I'm trying to say:**** The way I see it, even with magic muscles and the like cannot autonomously move on their own like bones and such. To me Flesh Giants, Abominations, Ghouls, and Warcraft Zombies fall under the rules of the more common movie zombie- no head (or working brain) equals no movement. Skeletons and Lichs are more empowered by magic in comparison let alone held together and work properly as possible given their undead state.**

**They are essentially the variations of the classic argument of might vs. magic. For any arguement made for the fact that certain flesh based undead types are missing their flesh altogether at the joints (i.e. The Forsaken), my only defense is enchantments to allow movement.**

**Fun Fact to hopefully occupy your minds in periods of boredom regarding this story****: When I was originally planning the Path of a Monk story, Naruto did return to the Elemental Nations at age thirteen at the classic Wave mission story (the bridge builder one) while acting as a salesman/bodyguard for a adventuring party of Pandaren merchants. He is skilled in martial arts but is no master, and he defeats a group of thugs under Gato's employ when Team Seven encountered him.**

**He does help Team Seven with the bridge, but more for the sake of the villagers rather than helping out his former home. Ultimately he never joins nor helps Konoha as long as he has a say in the matter regarding small issues.**

**I went with the more Warcraft active storyline thanks to Kiue Jin's stories and a little bit from PyroC0ntrol (though I wouldn't recommend reading his story... no offense man, as interesting as your story was, I felt you overpowered Naruto to unreasonable limits). Every other story I have actually read so far just seemed too Naruto-verse-centric for my tastes, so here's to tipping the scales!**

**Also to Kiue Jin (again):**** You have something going with Demon Hunter man!**

**Till next time...**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**


	9. Chapter 6, 'infiltration (part 3)'

**This story is meant for entertainment purposes, I otherwise would not put a disclaimer here for Naruto and Warcraft... (Sniffs) I kind of wish I owned the latter though. For added protection, I also add Bleach though it is in terms of characters only, not universe. I own not those three.**

Path of a monk

Chapter 6: To tell of a "infiltration," part 3

Halls of Reflection

"You will not escape!"

A cruel smirk plastered the hidden face of a inexplicably tall man, armored in head-to-toe, as he strode down the hallway while his billowing cape of a moonless night followed obediently. Each plate, his right pauldron, each boot, both gauntlets, and his helmet was carved in an effigy of death in the patterns of a skull in majority or ribs in length with a spike or several to add to its imposing appearance. Yet that did not deter the enemy he made so long ago, nor the woman who he spurned with his choices a few months before the former. The two following them however were more than willing to give them space in their pursuit.

A throaty chuckle threatened to reveal itself from the one person who, ironically given his title, the world wanted dead and buried. The man squeezed the handle of the hefty sword just as terrible as he. Moments an audience had gathered to commune with the blade. _Laughable_.

Traitors, paladins, commoners, and a sorceress...

He heard the faint scrapping of one of his skeletal servitors climb out of the stone, yet he was still pursued. It was most likely the cowards who would fight him. It was only fitting that he wouldn't be the one to deal with the rubbish. A wayward servant, a foolish ghost of a previous life, both of which were powerful and respected to a measure; former relations aside, they warrant his attention.

The dulled echoes of clashing metal were of little interest to him, thus his nonchalant ascendance of the flight of stairs that marked the hall's end. More servants of his will arose from the walls to intercept his pursuers. A laughable effort even to him but it allotted the distance he craved as they sacrificed what lives they had to appease his whim.

Another wave charged past him to stave off the women that sought him out, none of which dared to touch him even by accident as he strode past them to a darkened room bearing drapes and a throne of obsidian night laced with a steely yet royal blue to match the cold atmosphere brought forth from the darkness, and chilled air of Icecrown itself.

He strode across the throne room to his shadowy seat and made himself comfortable, a hand twitched in a mild threat to have his cheek rest upon it; he contently leaned back against his throne, his free hand resting on an outstretched leg while the other continued to grasp the sword that would threaten to mock others' strength to even lift it, blade itself all but cutting the stone floor underneath its point as it leaned forward without being dropped in its own rest.

The sole being known as the Lich King watched on with dismal interest as the two women from another's past finished the last remnants of the ramshackle army that sought their end.

They were predicable.

Jaina Proudmoore charged in before the last skeleton would fall and held her ground halfway inside the throne room with her jaw clenched, her teeth gritted in anxiety as he eyes desperately sought to find something within him. He smirked and casually shifted his gaze to his one time servant, Sylvanas Windrunner, as she notched an arrowed coated in shadowy flames in her drawn bow out of the former's sight.

The flicking of his eyes was enough to warn the ex-agent to an impending attack, an impending attack to which she dodged, rolled away, and let loose the arrow in her defense. Her glare for Arthas, for the Lich King, was focused on a new target that casually stepped away from the arrow's path even before it was loosed upon him.

He was lanky in build and height for sure; there was little to hint he had the muscle mass greater than a athlete of some kind at beast, then again he was only wearing dark cloth and armor that threatened to absorb into the background should the wall become just a shade darker. What armor she could make out were his dark sabatons that swallowed what little light there already was, a pair of simplified pauldrons that only revealed themselves to be so for the fact they slightly bulged out from his shoulders, and gauntlets of strange design on his hands; they revealed the pale flesh of the man's palms as well as the fingers yet were armored at the back, it was held in place by several small straps from palm to the pads of his fingers. All of these protective pieces of armor slipped or seemingly merged to the body length robe that slipped over his boots and gauntlets.

With a slight shift, Sylvanas peered upon this man's face. It was as pale as his hands, only marred with what appeared to be tattoos symbolizing tear tracks that ran from his eyes to his jaw line. His hair was a lighter tone of black and slightly a mess as it crept back to his neck and framed around his face in a unintentional manner. His eyes were the most unusual feature however, for most eyes of a death knight were a glowing set of blue eyeballs with very faint traces of what they once were at best. The sclera of the eye was the same eerie blue all death knights had, but that was where the similarity ended; the iris was as visible to the whole world as a shade darker than green, and the pupils were cat-like slits.

In his hand was a double-edged sword, colored in the same fashion a death knight's own arsenal when forged and engraved in the same chilling blue runes that were aglow, with a green gem much darker than his own eyes resting on the pommel of his sword; he was sliding his sword into a black leather sheath with the same grace as someone inspecting a sword on a leisurely day. The act, the dispassionate frown framing his lips, and the cool air he carried spoke volumes to how he regarded the situation before him... it was just another day for him regardless of the company the room held.

The free hand of the Banshee Queen clenched.

Meanwhile Jaina faced her own problem... herself. Since the moment she entered the apparent throne room she had been deadlocked in the battle between the heart and mind, and she knew it too.

Her own mind, her own reasoning, knowledge, and logic, screamed at her that before her was a monster in the very definition of the word and he held no remorse nor even entertained the thought of proclaiming himself as some kind of savior of the world; he knew what he was at the very core of things. Her heart however screamed back in denial.

"This isn't the man you once knew."

"Of course it is! Who else could it be?"

"The Lich King."

"The same being that tricked Arthas into-"

"Did he trick Arthas into 'purging' Stratholme?"

"He was under intense pressure, he is a good man-"

"He disbanded the Silver Hand for Uther's refusal to aid him."

"He-"

"Condemned his men to death by burning the ships in Northrend."

"He was-"

Points, arguments, statements of facts, all were met with the deep seated refusal to believe he, Arthas, The Lich King, was no longer the man he used to be. Uther himself confirmed there was a glimmer left, not the whole man, but it's something at least...

Every nook, cranny, and crevice. Glowing blue eyes, wisps of hair, and stance... _nothing_.

Her arms shook while holding the staff defensively to her person, her senses deadened to the plight of her respective counterpart in faction and stance over Arthas as the tension was becoming more palpable in a conversation her ears did not hear...

All that mattered was the... being in front of her which had his features hidden in the variable wall that wall armor, and his face long hidden by the shadow of his helm that was his crown; he only spared her a glance in passing interest as the other duo's moment of silence rested on the precipice of a brawl that threatened everyone's wellbeing in the room.

The slim fingers pressing against the wooden staff paled as they bit into the wood... it was now or never.

"Arthas!"

Everyone, save the speaker herself, paid their own play of attention. The barest twitch to gaze upon her trembling form, the perking of an ear to listen to whatever the other gathered the nerve to say, and an almost lazy rolling of the eyes to show Jaina that she had the attention she sought from her outburst.

The two finally locked eyes at long last, an act that hadn't been achieved since before The Scourge's crusade began...

Muscle, blood, and even her own spirit froze and grew colder. Gleaming eyes or not... it was not Arthas sitting before her; she had seen him in his darkest moments even if it was for the briefest of moments, yet it was still Arthas back then.

Where was that fragment? That flicker? He had to be there! He had to be there, even as a... dwindling... presence...

"Is there something you wished to ask of me, Jaina Proudmoore?" Her shock carried over into her reaction of stilled silence without a twitch nor proof she was even breathing. His voice was still the same, apathetic, passively demanding, deep, held an air of superiority that he alone held right to, and yet detached to the past...

Moments before she had heard this voice, that voice was raised in anger as Uther the Lightbringer himself appeared before them when they beseeched help from the spirits held prisoner in Frostmourne. To Jaina's inquiry he had answered that Arthas was a mere presence that was vanishing within the body of who he once was and had been, and now the jaws of doubt had set its teeth upon her strained hopes; it would seem that his anger from before was more relevant to his possible demise rather the diminishing soul.

"Is he even Arthas anymore?" she thought to herself. There was only one way she could think of in the dismal turmoil that writhed within her.

"Who _are_ you?" she spoke tersely with baited breath.

His reaction was what she feared. It was dull at first, so low she nearly mistaken it for coughing, yet it grew in strength and magnitude all too quickly for her tastes let alone Sylvanas'. His reaction was laughter. Laughter so vaunting, blithesome, yet cruel and powerful that it was felt as tremors in both the air and the very floor beneath their feet. If it wasn't for the possibility for either side to lash out, the two that stood on guard with the other in their own fashion would've risked a glance at the scene apart from them.

Slowly the cackle diminished though his amusement still linger. "I admit, I was expecting something different altogether." At his leisure, he arose from his seat without averting his gaze by the slightest inch. "What I was expecting," he continued, "some kind of plea for a return."

With a measured step he approached them at a sedate pace. "Have you not come to save a 'misbegotten' soul from damnation?" Another step was taken. "Has the chorus of the dissident taken a hold of you?" He was closing in on meeting them halfway from his throne. Both the heart of the ruler of Theramore and of Undercity froze when a hauntingly familiar voice slide through with such ease in contrast to the deep reverberation that was the Lich King's. "Are you to forsaken me to this fate, Jaina?"

It was his voice, Arthas' voice, the voice she heard so many times in the flitting images of the past and dream alike. The voice she wanted to hear once more...

Yet it was as familiar and comforting as a corpse's hand resting upon her cheek, deprived of life in all its forms.

A breath of the staunch cold air was inhaled and let loose in a barely shuddering manner. "Thank you for answering my question," she whispered to no one.

In a burst of light, she had teleported away and reappeared near the doorway with her hand raised and fingers spread out while small flames danced among them. The Lich King raised a hand in challenge of this with sparking energy much more sinister nature than the Jaina's flame, Sylvanas leapt back to her own corner to avoid the slice of a previously sheathed blade and notched a black arrow glistening from a undisclosed coating, yet the purpose was no doubt threatening in intent.

And so it began. With a dragon's roar, and a scream of the tortured, two continuous blasts of a black with dark violet lightning coursing through it and an angry torrent of flame slammed and tried to dominate the other on behalf of their respective caster; the latter's stream split off into three heads, one to attack head on while the other two snaked around the unholy power that was an attack.

Meanwhile their own allies of different causes danced to their own tune. An arrow flew only to be deftly dodged like its predecessor, and its missed target melded into the shadows despite his alabaster skin. A trio of arrows were drawn and readied, and let loose when she abruptly turned about. Her opponent caught the one that held true to him and ignored its partners. His eyes widened in grim astonishment when he caught sight of a fourth arrow coated in the same dark aura that threatened the Lich King, either drawn afterwards or perhaps held back somehow, came at him before he could take action. With great force, he was propelled back and into the wall in a minor explosion of debris and pulverized dust of the stonework that was masked over by the battle between the once lovers of Lordaeron.

A glance would've been too luxurious in her opinion as she readied another arrow. Her wariness was rewarded when the pale skin of her opponent materialized from the slightly lingering cloud. He was brushing his chest clean of the rubble mockingly for her tastes as his eyes returned to the same dulled expression as before. His voice carried over to her ears once more when she had asked him to identify himself earlier. "I am Ulquiorra Cifer, first of our Lord's Aspa."

Whatever these "Aspa" were, obviously they were not the usual variant of a death knight...

XVX

Gigantic but not colossal, a skeleton landed with a heavy thud and clatter of bones that failed to mute its death rattle when reinforcements finally came to the aid of the paladins that it faced.

Flesh was mended, wounds healed, and the gathered ten stormed the stairs to discover the fate of the ones they were suppose to protect. Their haste doubled upon the foreboding clashes of weaponry and the explosions of what may have been spells seeking their targets demise.

"They get the big fish while we get the trash," Kenpachi grumbled.

"Says the guy who was having the time of his life," counter-mumbled Naruto. Any retaliation to prove he was heard was cut off by the sudden appearance of a figure that hurtled past the doorway, tumbled down the stairs and into a hapless Naruto; two figures now descended the stairs against their will.

"Damn it..." The monks ears perked at the familiarity of the irritated voice upon finally landing at the bottom. He thrusts up a hand to wave off the more concerned members of his party as he supported himself to look down at a snarling queen of her people.

Without acknowledging him, she grabbed at his shoulder and bolted to her feet and made for the stairs, only to collapse when her leg gave out without warning in her sprint.

Naruto rushed over to her side while she attempted to claw her way up with her teeth clenched tightly enough to threaten to break, doubly so when the chorus of swords met alongside the heartened shouts of Kenpachi finding new prey. A quick glance, coupled with another to banish doubt, revealed the cause of her current state: something had sliced into her leg, clean through the flesh and armor guarding it; what blood there was left was coagulating around the wound to prove its existence.

Sylvanas only ignored the monk's presence as she clawed her way back to reap her vengeance, she wasn't about to let anyone claim the right but her if it was within her power. Her goal was but feet away and endangered by a deranged orc and a lovesick sorceress, not to mention was squad of paladins. Her fingers bit into the stonework of the steps as her desires willed her forward. "Damn the warning... he must die!" her mind screamed in justification!

Another step was grasped when she felt herself stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She turned to snap at the only culprit close enough to carry out this transgression, yet her body felt sluggish for some reason, and her rage dissipating under a strange wave of... something alien. Red eyes met blue ones and the hint of something glowing in the bare corner of her gaze.

Her vision swam in a gentle rocking while she looked at his lips that spoke yet didn't speak. She heard yet didn't hear him as the words brushed against her ears... and her mind. "Calm down."

A part of her wanted to scream and berate the human before her. She wanted to tell him he had no right to tell her what to do. She wanted to demand of him his assistance to bring her to the top of the stair to at least witness Arthas being slain despite Uther's caveats...

Yet at the same time she didn't want to... her arms slacked. Her jaw gave her teeth relief. She actually felt like she could breathe again... if she didn't remind herself she was no longer considered among the living.

The enigmatic glowing ceased to be upon the monk's removal of his hand, and he soon positioned himself in front of her with his back to her as he sat on his haunches with his arms slightly spread out behind him. It was a unvoiced invitation she partook in yet it was strange, her spirit felt itself lagging behind her body as it moved to her half mumbled will.

Once the Banshee Queen was securely fastened to his back, Naruto set out to rejoin the others in all haste with his sedate passenger.

He easily climbed the steps and arrived to the throne room beyond, its scene easily giving a slow rise to his passenger's enraged spirit that was so palpable moments ago: The Lich King was at war with the paladins, though a lax one for him while his opponents assailed him time and again.

The monk's eyes narrowed and his mind started to draw conclusions whilst the ruler of the dead backhanded a paladin, his hand easily shattering the protective bubble of light blessed power to swat the man away into a way. "Does it take someone of Tirion's caliber to pose a threat to him?" he thought before casting a glance to the crippled queen. "It would explain the fighting earlier."

He stiffened and search the room for Kenpachi, yet the juggernaut wasn't to be found. In his stead however was a more curious sight of what appeared to be a death knight, a robed one at that, being suspended in mid air by what appeared to be a living current of frozen air that lead from another doorway in the room, one letting in the grayed light of day as well as a breeze of the north. The clang of two swords drew his attention back to the utter representations of the light and the darkness; Kaname's sword was set upon Frostmourne, wings of light sprouting from his back while his enemy merely tilted his head for reasons beyond the observing monk.

"Naruto!"

His attention snapped back at the only other portal of the throne room; to Rangiku frantically waving him over while she stole glances towards the apparent prisoner and the battle.

A realization dawned upon Naruto... one he didn't like.

Sylvanas' attention was forced away to her means of transport upon the slight clenching of his hands around her thighs in a failed attempt to ball into fists. His head was down cast in a defeated slump.

Before she could brace herself, the monk darted towards the doorway without sparing anything else a look and set out to the group that awaited them.

Everyone was safe: Jaina, though strained, was made evident as the jailor of the death knight that was held in place who only stared back with dull interest. Retsu appeared withdrawn, only managing a small smile when Naruto came to them as fine as a fiddle yet frowned slightly as Sylvanas' condition was revealed.

Kenpachi... was trying to glare at Retsu from the ground, an act Yachiru was partaking in on his behalf since the orc on his back seemed frozen in mid-swing, his jaw opened to roar out.

If the situation wasn't serious, Naruto would've smirked at Retsu's use of the Paralysis technique; he would've also have to ponder about Yachiru's seemingly impossible ability to lift, drag, let alone carry a hulking orc, state of living notwithstanding of course, despite the fact she was a death knight who _may_ or _may not_ have been altered much like Kenpachi...

Hesitantly Jaina let her prisoner go and made for the iced mountainous pathway that validated the extra door's existence, quickly joined in by the others despite respective handicaps as they made their escape.

Unfortunately...

"You will not escape so easily," Ulquiorra remorselessly stated.

A barrier of ice emerged without warning of its own accord, subsequently halting the retreating party. It was immediately attacked by one barrage of missiles of arcane nature after another by the Archmage of Theramore. "Just hold him back, I'll break down this barrier!" she nearly barked in a strained manner.

Retsu nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand clasped her shoulder, thus forcing her to twirl around with a hand arched at the ready only to find her blond master behind her with a grin that was unsuited for the crises at hand. "Package for you!" he all but declared as he pawned off a irritated yet groggy Sylvanas to her own care before rushing off to face a mounting horde of the undead of ghouls and skeletons of the vrykul variety brought into being by the will of their pursuer; an act that gave him reason to stand still by the doorway with his arm outstretched while being coated in a malevolent green aura of a blackened jade.

A precursory glance of the wounded leader brought a grimace to her lips but nothing else as she began her ministrations, only idly noting the somewhat beleaguered state of her being to which raised concerned questions that had to be forced back. "Advanced techniques are used only with a reason," she told herself in comfort. Though he acted like a child at times, she bowed to him for a reason...

She couldn't help but grin a little when she heard the agonized growl of a indignant Kenpachi when he received yet another blow to immobilize him. "Don't be mean to Kenny, Dandelion!"

Meanwhile alongside ignoring Yachiru's roar, Naruto strode forth in the company of Rangiku and her pet to meet the oncoming ragtag army.

"Hey Naruto?" Said monk afforded Rangiku in her pensive and skittish glory. She opened her mouth to say something but immediately closed it to his confusion, it was heightened further as she dared to glance away.

"Come on Kenny, get up!" Yachiru whined as she hopped about his chest in an attempt to get a rise out of him in some manner. Rangiku afforded a glance at the duo and seemed to draw some kind of inspiration from it as she returned to Naruto armed with a brilliant smile on herself. "The one with the least kills buys the drinks?"

He grinned back and chuckled slightly. "I'm just going to buy the drinks anyway!" He violently twisted and kicked the head off one of the skeletons that advanced far ahead of its comrades and leapt at another one before the first one collapsed. The hunter managed a small pout before arming her bow and letting loose on the chaos that was Naruto's defense against the gathered battalion. If he had looked back, there was a pensive frown on her that only increased with each inch gained in the flurry of limbs, bombs, and the zap off the occasional gadget undoubtedly made by him.

Back with Jaina, she smiled as she cracked through the barrier of ice. "I broke through, hurry!" she yelled back, hesitating enough to ensure she was heard even in the thickest of the fighting.

XVX

The situation was becoming unacceptable for Ulquiorra Cifer. Before him were the fleeing enemies of the Lich King himself alongside their cohorts sans the paladins that foolishly believed they could buy them time. A respectable but pointless tactic if his lord hadn't found something peculiar with the blinded one. His own inadequacies were just full to the growing annoyance. His lord could possibly march onwards to eradicate these offenders to him whilst summoning an army of the dead and willing walls of uncaring ice to stop them, unfortunately he had to focus on one of these abilities at a time.

The only thing remarkable about it was the fact he was the only one capable of even replicating his lord's works where others have failed even at their best. Necromancers can call upon the dead in large quantities, but not a small army in one try. Lichs with all their sorcery could not create anything greater than a pillar without reciting an incantation as a focus. Death knights, the closest example of these two combined, could not perform either acts in remarkable amounts. No. This was the calling of the Aspa; the blades that reap lives and sown terror in the Lich King's stead.

Forcing another ice wall into reality and forming yet another army of the soulless dead, augmented with the heavy hitting abominations and the witch doctors of the dead vrykul, he joined them on foot to collect what his master wanted.

While he cared not for the dead horde that shook the ground in their sprint of a chase, he didn't want to risk too much to chance given that the only viable exit to escape him was blocked off at the mouth, and he didn't wish to face the combined might of either the traitor queen or the sorceress even in their weakened states, not to mention whatever surprises their guards have in store for him; it was one thing to essentially ambush a single person given that there was little to be hidden from him in terms of knowledge while his enemy was lacking it in the midst of the scuffle brought on by the work of the practitioners of the supernatural that could crush armies, it was another matter altogether when he was alone and they could see him coming.

If he had anything to fear from the flunkies that protected the prize his lord was waiting for, it was the monks. He knew of Kenpachi, and of Yachiru, and their 'enhancements.' They were fairly predictable let alone a threat. A hunter was a hunter through and through, though the traps would be inconvenient. The monks were the ones that hosted the greatest threat: he himself had taken advantage of the ignorance the Dark Lady had of him and his position, so who was it to say it couldn't be used on himself? There were too few agents that had ever returned to give warning of what a monk was capable of.

With that said, he couldn't help but raise a brow in curiosity when the blond monk tossed his only in-disposable weapon to the other one to her surprise when they reached the barrier, jumped on it and vaulted to the shelf above them before anyone could complain.

"Is he running away? Or a possible ambush from above?" It didn't matter; either way he'd have to deal with it when it happened even if the former made it a tad less troublesome for him... for the time being at least.

His brow creased when he perceived the unpleasant scowl on the face of the woman-monk, the kind of scowl one has when tasting something vulgar. His brow returned to normal as he brushed the fact aside-

A sudden spike of... _something_ stopped him dead in his tracks alongside the more intelligent dead at his command. Whatever it was, it was coming from the shelf above them in spades. "Is it the monk?" he asked to no one.

His answer came in the form on the explosion of ice and rock that brought forth doom to the advancing host ahead of him by way of chunks greater than a giant's foot crushing, let alone obliterating, his army to paste if they were so (un)lucky. The explosion was followed by another that doomed yet another part of the host, now stopped by the debris that didn't fall off the edge. By the third act Ulquiorra caught on what was happening. Yet the fourth attack happened too quickly for him to either retreat or develop a counter to the unorthodox assault...

It wasn't long before the rubble haphazardly settle when the monk jumped down onto the battered ice and stone with a cheeky grin and a hand held up in a victory pose.

From afar, Retsu Unohana sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose; she was the only one, three if it was technical, to stand out like this where the others gawked.

Kenpachi was unfortunately still paralyzed to prevent him from fighting his way back to the Lich King hence was only aware that _something_ had happened since he was, if pleasantly put, glaring at the sky above him. Sylvanas was still recovering, and forced to merely observe in faint interest.

Unsurprisingly it was Yachiru who broke the silence. "You stole Kenny's kills you meanie!"

The monk burst into a proud cackle. "Sorry about-"

The rumbling was the only warning he received before something burst its way from the confines below.

The world around Naruto slowed as he turned to defend himself against this threat, only for his efforts to be rewarded with the equivalent of a backhand from the broadside of a sword of blackened steel with a hint of blue outside the runes engraved into it. The blow alone propelled the monk over the edge with a bleeding cheek from being caught by the very edge of the blade.

Out of revenge, survival, or perhaps as some kind of sacrifice, a rope whipped out and ensnared the arm of the culprit responsible for his fate, Ulquiorra, and dragged him down as well in the death knight's shock. Yet it didn't matter.

Retsu watched on in unabated horror as Naruto, her master, teacher, and mentor, plummeted to the veiled floor miles beneath them with his executioner that chased them in tow. But it wasn't her who screamed in fear for him with such passion.

"NARUTO!"

**A/N: I apologize for making you all wait and for such a short chapter too. Call it an excuse but I was having problems with this one in regards of the scene in the Shadow Throne; too much potential there, not exactly experienced with writing scenes like this, and since I had included Sylvanas in this trouble was going to rear its head somewhere for me and it was that scene.**

**Here's a bit of a spoiler for you, in the voting for characters to be in the story, I pretty much pegged Ulquiorra to be a servant for the Lich King right off the bat, and now I'm slightly reaping the rewards of that by including him in the scene in the Shadow Throne. As memory served, LK (Lich King) was fairly beaten up no matter who the opponent was in the instance but had enough power to still be warranted as a threat, so with two powerhouse women on him I'm pretty sure he would've died.**

**_Spoiler:_**** For Ulquiorra's level of strength and title, let's say I'm dipping into his original background a bit.**

**Speaking of which: Aspa- Blade in Spanish, or rather what I got out of Google Translator. Using Espada as a title didn't sit well with me and using a Spanish name has a certain flare to it for me.**

**With that said, I have to warn you that the next chapter will most likely take a bit longer to right and that is as much as a spoiler I'm going to give.**

**To everyone who thinks The Scourge is in ENs:**** Wrong cult. Devil in the details people. No offense but it's been driving me nuts.**

**And now a thanks to the suggestion of ****_girlyvader_**** that was just too interesting to pass up in my devious mind.**

**Meh he he...**

Extra!: To tell of a contest

Flitting across the screen assemble and sit the words Gnomeregan Gnews Gnetwork followed by a narrator's dignified drone, "Gnomeregan Gnews. With News Anchor Gerald Ford."

The screen switches over to a balding man of graying hair, slightly haggard skin, and finely groomed mustache covering his lip well, not to mention dressed in a tuxedo. He shuffles a stack of papers on his desk before turning to the camera and addressing the audience with his gravelly voice tuned with age. "Hello, I'm Gerald Ford, filling in for Mar'Lee as he covers for our reporters out in the field today."

"Today's top story is Brewfest Derby! Now normally Brewfest itself only happens once a year, much to the regret of its participants when the stands have to be closed and the vendors go home till next year to brandish their wares once again. But that has yet to stop anyone from putting down the mug in memory of this cherished time."

"As such there are games and drinking events that tip their hats to this holiday, and with the discovery of the Elemental Nations this had unexpectedly increased tenfold with the introduction of Sake: a alcoholic drink primarily derived from rice of all things. Rumors are floating around as to how this contest of... skill started and unfortunately we're unable to pinpoint the exact cause, but now Ironforge is playing host to the very first Brewfest Derby. We go to the field with Mar'Lee. Are you there?"

XVX

Mystic Ward, Ironforge

A troll of blue skin, wild red hair sticking back, and tusks jutting out of his mouth in a slightly angle towards his chin appears on screen dressed in a red vest and formal tuxedo shirt with tribal armbands on the humor (upper arm) of each arm as he stands a good distance away from a massive crowd. "Thank ya mon," he says.

"Like he said, many speculate but no one knows the exact origin of da Brewfest Derby, but that didn't stop the King from declaring Ironforge a amnesty zone so participants from all however from competin' in da derby. Let's roll the interview please."

The camera sits at an angle to spy King Magni Bronzebeard sitting atop his throne staring at someone off screen while being questioning. "Yer Majesty," Mar'Lee starts, "why is it you allowed members of da Horde to freely walk amongst yer people where you could've held this contest outside?"

"Oh the answer is quite simple. Over the years we keep getting enough complaints to the point we have to threaten shooting them outta cannon to get them to shut up, but who can blame them? THEY'RE DRINKING OUT IN THE COLD! Quite frankly everyone enjoys Brewfest so much that we can't house all the people inside are admittedly large city to begin with let alone keep the really heavy drinkers from causin' too much trouble. But the derby, now that's somethin' we can manage! Two members of every nation competing instead of an entire city, think about it! That and we have only so many a' pub to that can only accommodate so many guests!"

"Speaking of Nations yer Majesty, do you know why the Forsaken haven't sent anyone to represent them?"

Magni shrugged and shook his head. "I don't know, but my money's on them bein' paranoid about being blamed for another incident like the Wrathgate. Not to bad mouth them or anythin' but I can't blame them for thinkin' that not to mention it gives me a bit of piece o' mind."

The clip ends and the scene returns to Mar'Lee in the Mystic Ward. "On a side note, the Forsaken's capital is under lockdown and nobodies gettin' in or out, and securit-eh at der borders have dramatically increased."

"What of the derby however?" Gerald asks off screen.

"Ah, the derby." Mar'Lee clears his throat.

"Out of the twenty-two that entered, only six remain. Three if we go technical mon. Representin' Ironforge in what would be a death match in the drinkin' world is long time resident and former Brewfest Queen Rangiku Matsumoto. A name familiar with every single and married mon out there let alone drinkers."

"Representing the sovereign nation of Pandaria is Xi Shou, a traveling Brewmaster tryin' to top Chen Stormstout in his ability to craft drinks ta die for."

"Last but not least from the Elemental Nations itself is da Lady Hokage Tsunade Senju."

"What exactly is a Hokage, Mar'Lee?"

"From what I understand, she's da leader of her village like any oth'tha title with da word Kage in it."

"Interesting... You said something of a technicality, would you explain please?"

"As you may know, each side has had a total of two members to swap with each other between various competitions, all of which involve drinkin'. Unfortunately Ms. Matsumoto's partner had to get his stomach pumped from eating a bad crunchy frog. Ratha' than waiting, it was decided dat they would proceed in a drinkin' match where da last one standin' wins da derby."

"Out of curiosity, who are the partners that had to be removed?"

"In respective order from before: Barley McFrothbeard, Naruto Uzumaki, and the Raikage whose name is the lett-ah A."

"Quick question: wasn't McFrothbeard in prison for the attempted murder of N. Kagnito?" interrupted Gerald.

"Indeed he was mon. But recent evidence showed that N. Kagnito was in fact a Legion support'ta thus securing his release."

"Ah. Let's go to the derby itself, shall we?"

At a large roundtable sit the three respective sides: Rangiku Matsumoto sporting her red swashbuckler shirt and revealing her generous bust that earned the appreciative howls of her fans with each gesture of acknowledgement in her jubilee of being in the contest.

Also at the table was Tsunade Senju, wearing her usual attire. Her eyes were stern as they could be, but her smile was smug as the contest seemed to be in the bag; cheers and praises her hurled at her with as much further for her... 'casual' resting of her arms underneath her chest.

Last but not least was Xi Shou of Pandaria, long forsaking his garments of a farmer in favor of jade green robes with blue dragons coiling around in no discernible pattern and embroidered in what appeared to be crushed critine in color to accentuate their figures. He was only pleasantly humming to himself while he drummed the table in his wait.

"As I understand it Tsunade Senju is over sixty years old yet she appears to be twenty, do you have anything on that?" Gerald intoned.

"We actually managed to get Jiraiya of da Sannin to give a brief word about dis."

The servers carrying in the drinks by the barrel load before the scene changes to what appears to the the Great Forge area of Ironforge with Mar'Lee questioning Jiraiya. "Jiraiya-mon, dere be many questions about Tsunade's appearance despite several testimonies about 'er age, what can you tell us about dis?"

"Ah well let's face it: not many women like the concept of aging if so many people claim they're so beautiful! With hard work anyone can stay so young looking, wouldn't you say so?" The white haired man says with a grin with a hint of lechery. "What about da allegations that she be usin' what you shinobi call "nin-jute-sues" to keep her appearance?"

The Sannin chuckled nervously while scratching the back of his. "Ah..." His head suddenly jerks to the left, during which he plants a hand to his ear to act as a earing aid of sorts. "Oh! It appears I'm late for my book signing! See ya!" Before anyone could do anything, he absconds by jumping onto a nearby railing and bounding over the distance of the forge with ease. The image returns to Mar'Lee standing before a now cheering mass blocking the view of the competitors. "No 'ard evidence has yet to be found abou' Lady Senju's use of jute-sue so far."

"Sorry to interrupt you but what can you tell us about Ninjutsu?"

"As far as I understand it be da equivalent ta using spells for shin'obi through da use of hand signs rather than chantin' or some kind of regeant," replied Mar'Lee.

"Let's get back to the derby shall we?" offered Gerald.

The scene switches back to the table now littered with flagons, sake cups, and even small barrels that threatened to encroach the territory of their enemies. "Holy... What has it been, ten minutes since we diverted the scene?" Gerald exclaimed from his desk. "You have ta keep in mind mon, each one be a 'eavy drinker in der own right," countered the substitute reporter. The camera angles to a more observable scene of the competitors with the monk going on strong while leaving his foes straggling behind.

"Seems that Xi Shou has got this one in the bag." Rangiku suddenly lurches forward and face plants into the table as the Hokage grabbed another tankard with a heavy set blush on her cheek, a hand on the table was all that kept her from tipping over. "Oh that's a bit of a shame. Wouldn't this be her second loss to date Mar'lee?"

"Indeed mon. The first person to have ev'ah beaten her in a game of drink was the Traveling Monk himself during a stay in Ironforge."

"Could this be evidence of the rumors towards a monk's ability to hold their liquor?" the aged reporter questioned.

"If ya can recall our earlier interview with Retsu Unohana, this to ah degree is a fact. Dose who walk the path of ah Brewmaster tend to embrace the tradition of drinkin' an' concoctin' der own drinks if not one of dem. It be a tradition, but not ah requirement mon."

Tsunade tossed back her umpteenth mug and slammed it onto the table, an act that was her last before she too slumped forward in defeat. "Well it appears we have a winner here, and there is bound to be a lesson here somewhere..."

"My guess is dat you don't mess with a Pandaren with his drinks or get ah dwarf to beat him in a game of drink."

"That might just be it Mar'Lee... that might just be it."

"With that settled now we can- wait, something's-"

An orc and a human burst through the crowd while handling a barrel opened at the top. "Wait, is dat Naruto-"

Guards tried to stop them but they unleashed their payload of a bright blue liquid before retreating into the mass by abandoning the barrel. At first only a perturbed drenched monk sat there trying to understand what had happened until the true quality revealed itself diminutively at first till it shown in all its radiance by forcing the body of Xi Shou to glow a bright blue with small silent bursts of yellow jets streaking away from his body.

The pandaren blinked and shrugged. Without any provocation he leapt onto the table and proceeded to dance.

"Well... dat was unexpected..."

"Indeed Mar'Lee... indeed."


	10. Chapter 7

**This story is meant for entertainment purposes, I otherwise would not put a disclaimer here for Naruto and Warcraft... (Sniffs) I kind of wish I owned the latter though. For added protection, I also add Bleach though it is in terms of characters only, not universe. I own not those three.**

**To chm01: I am following the road of duel spec for most of the characters.**

**To AR 1993: Glad to know someone else played Overlord! But no on the Gandalf question.**

Path of a monk

Chapter 7: To tell of a counter attack

Above Malykriss: The Vile Hold, Icecrown

"Get that ugly blighter off me ship!" the dwarvern captain screamed from atop the Carrier class gunship Purewind, The Argent Crusade's one and _only_ gunship to date that bore the same design of the Alliance's own ship The Skybreaker, just painted in a faint reminiscence of the flag of the Crusade.

It was also the only gunship under assault by... _something_ that looked to be the forced union between a bat and a human through experiments only The Scourge were so bold to perform. Having a band of adventurers, heroes, and the captain's own crew trying to eliminate this being while on his ship did very little to remedy his mood as the tussle was starting to destroy the deck itself if not become something reminiscent to the ground below...

_(Flashback!)_

Thirty-four minutes prior, forge of Malykriss

"Bothersome," a man in a short top hat of light gray with a white band wrapped around its base mumbled sleepily. Garbing him was a white double-breasted vest, if not an outright jacket, with fur trimmings, it was slightly parted as it neared the neck to reveal a white slightly puffy undershirt underneath the coat armed with a black tie adorned with a small pendant of a wolf's head. His pants were as simple as they could be, though dyed in the light gray of his hat, held up by a plain black leather belt with a buckle made of white gold though ordinary in design. Lastly was his shoes, simple black dress shoes. The only peculiarity to him, other than his location and sleepy appearance, were two holsters attached to his belt at the sides with black handles of a more rare weapon type: pistols.

The general likelihood of encountering someone, anyone for that matter, with a pistol for a firearm, let alone a pair or more, was on par with encountering someone with tattoos; there were so few that they could be called by name in an idle conversation. This was the man known to all, provided that they bothered to ask, as Coyote Starrk; the Black Dog of Gilneas, more so named for his view of the isolationist nation he hailed from as being, quote, "being moronic," end quote, about its policies to which he on several occasions admitted he couldn't truly fathom the reasoning of his home country of isolating themselves from the world. To those who thought about it, Black Dog was a more fitting name than Black Sheep given his first name.

As to how he came to living beyond their walls, it was heavily speculated that he was enjoying one of his famous naps somewhere in Lordaeron by the time the order came and went for the construction of the Greymane Wall. Unfortunately Pink Elekks and Woppletingers were also involved in the other rumors for reasons unknown.

Of course where there was Starrk, there was also the near guaranteed encounter with his niece...

"Wake up Starrk!" came an unprovoked yell, followed by a flying knee to the back of the man's head.

"Gaaaah!" Starrk screamed in dire surprise as well as annoyance from being disturbed from a near nap-like state while he came crashing down hard on the frozen dirt beneath him with his arms splayed out like a poor mimicking of a bird of prey.

Lilynette Gingerbuck, niece of Coyote Starrk by marriage of one of his sisters. Also Gilnean by birth, also locked out of her home country more as a poorly planned act of rebellion against her parents than by choice if her uncle was an indicator. Albeit a farfetched one indicator if the rumors were true.

Standing behind the fallen and now groaning Gilnean was the teenager of fourteen years in age herself standing roughly as tall her uncle's elbow, dressed in a rather loose fitting pants of white snow that were the most baggy at the knees amongst other things. Cloaking her were robes unbuttoned halfway down, exposing her belly button by a small margin between her pants and a underlying black shirt, also white as snow yet trimmed in a black outline to each of its edges by two centimeters in width. Her hands, poking out of the robe, were garbed in simple black wristbands with a contrasting white gem sewn into them that glinted from atop her wrists with each dab of light that graced them. Keeping her feet from the cold were dress shoes much like her own Uncle's own pair that angled towards the sky at the moment. Lastly to adorn her figure that ran through short mint green hair was a plain monocle of a engineer's make covering her left eye, with its glass casing of rosy pink to match her one visible eye. Her lone armament was a curved saber-like weapon lashed to her waist.

More than one onlooker had voiced their opinion to the idea that some sort of feud goes on between the two with the eldest Gilnean refusing to fight back as a matter of being the adult of the two. In truth this was a common occurrence that has gone on between the two as a matter of fun, for the youngest that is. As to why Coyote Starrk lets this continue unabated is a mystery to all including himself.

Most suspect this is heavily attributed to his lethargic attitude in general.

"Damn it Lilynette," came the muffled rebuke from the man whose face was planted in the ground.

"Not my fault that you aren't aware of-" Lilynette started to say as he uncle slowly stood upright... only to swiftly draw out a pistol and fire without word nor warning.

The act was too swift for her to recognize at first, and only made real as a nervous eye looked over her shoulder to spy on a skeleton now sporting a sizable hole in its cranium before it keeled over in a newfound death.

"General rule of thumb," Starrk started out as tiredly, yet sternly enough as his pistol, ornamented in silver for the barrel with small engravings of a pair of wolves charging towards the end of said barrel, was given a slight twirl before put to rest in its harness. "Don't lecture people in what you yourself lack or partake in even if it's for a bare moment."

"Grump," she muttered as her hackled hair settled.

The elder Gilnean grunted as he rubbed the back of his neck to work out a kink, his mood obviously lax given their surroundings.

"You know if you put forth some effort, we would get done with this a lot faster," Lilynette chided moodily.

"Yeah, yeah..." He looked out and was rewarded with the sight of skeletons, abominations, and even the dead vyrkul forced into un-life gathering at their own rally points to ward off not only them, but other adventurers that wandered into the forge so close to the citadel that was forced into seclusion with the occupation of the Argent Crusade. "Though it's not like we'll clear them out in one day. We're going to need an army if we're to force their reserves out and even then we might need some sort of explo-"

With great force, an explosion along the walls of the ice covered fortress itself pervaded let alone dominated the air that robbed the attention of both the dead and the living on both sides. Chunks... no, glaciers of the glacier came tumbling down and a single pair of eyes narrowed.

"There's people fighting on those things."

Flabbergasted, Lilynette tugged at her monocle while muttering an incantation to permit her the truth of Coyote's claim.

As the enhancement was made, though temporary, Starrk was proven correct as her encased eye peered upon two persons in the midst of a duel... on a falling chunk of ice that would give even a undead giant a headache upon impact if not give them a second death.

How both were staying on it were beyond her as the battle was becoming more and more ludicrous to that regard when neither fell off when either dodged, when either struck, or even moved in any direction with or without their opponent encouraging the action. To add onto it, neither seemed concerned with the soon to be fate of their platform as the ground continued to rush towards them in a greeting to be remembered, despite however short it would be.

If anything, the blond haired man seemed to be more interested in this fact than worried about it; the fight was slowly being pushed to the edge closest to the ground without gravity taking them further than what has already been claimed, with the blond haired man being the furthest away by a minute comparison.

A lone arm hooked itself around her as she continued to gawk but Lilynette made no attempt to show her acknowledgement, even as said arm pulled her away from the rapidly approaching collection of icebergs. Her mind was too focused on the battle above.

The orange wearing man sent forth a energy coated kick before jumping back, and more to the point, away from the other man before jumping _off_ the chunk of frozen water...

Lilynette could only guess to the true strength of the impact since she was uplifted by her retreating uncle, yet she could guess... everything, both living and dead, erect or bent, bolted or firmly planted, threatened to collapse if their standing hadn't already. What skeletons there were found the shock alone too great to withstand as a testament to the power that rocked even her though neither fell, and she herself wasn't directly touching the earth.

A smaller series of explosions soon buffeted the air while the continuous rumble dominated.

XVX

"Damn it. I'm out of bombs," Naruto hissed as he staggered out of a pulverized patch of ice/dirt with clenched teeth.

A lone hand dug into a minuscule bag attached to his 'belt' that glowed softly upon the touch, and soon came forth a vial containing red liquid contents that were soon drained in a gulp moments after. "_Strawberries_," came a unsaid curse. "They just can't invent other flavors can they?" he whined as he felt the effects take over, and the pain that came from his landing dissipate.

The crack of ice diluted what satisfaction that came from the minor recovery, survival notwithstanding, as something was forcing its way to the surface from the mountain of crumbled ice and made no effort to disguise its intent.

His hand dove into his bag and retrieved another vial after discarding the first, further hastened as a pulse of energy emanated from the rubble, a precursor before a pillar of dark energy, like night given a breath of life, shot straight up and vaporized if not decimated the broken blocks of ice that prevented the caster from freedom... freedom sought by Ulquiorra Cifer.

A haze of debris and mist blocked his view of the Aspa, neither hampered by the cold let alone chilled.

"How shameful of me," came Ulquiorra's emotionless critique. "Only an extreme few would even put forth an effort worthy enough to have me resort to this." A sudden gale brushes by, forcing rocks, ice, and the mist away to reveal the death knight giving an unwavering stare at the monk while everything else made no effort to hide their retreat from him... and the outpour of power _oozing_ off of him while he stood there before the world with his appearance altered and his hand outstretched like it had swept something away.

His sword was nowhere to be seen, probably lost due to the impact yet it didn't matter. His fingers became elongated and claw-like with his nails grown to sharpened points an inch longer for each finger. His armor gleamed even in the dull light, and given pronounced edges that trimmed the very borders to each border while is clothing seemed to lose what, if any, folds there were in favor of a more plain and straight robe that appeared to have been lovingly ironed. The plating on his hands lost their bands but never left his skin, even in the barest of twitches. Now crowning his head was a single cap as dark and as brilliant as the black armor he worn, yet held the essence of black smoke coursing through its curves and near invisible grains. It sported a pair of horns that swept back at an angle in a small curve that started at each side.

"Though between the ice and that strange power you wield, I suppose at some point I would have deemed it necessary to utilize my abilities to this extent."

A lone eyebrow rose up from the monk as he matched the death knight's eternal, nonchalant stare.

"A question if I may." Ulquiorra didn't bat an eye amongst other things. "Those experiments with the death knights before Light's hope, was the final product suppose to be something akin to you?"

"Correct," was the monotone reply as his outstretched arm crept about to face him, and his hand reaching out like the claw it appeared to be.

"And if I am to last, I have little choice but to pull out the big guns now don't I?" It was more of a statement than it was a question, yet was answered regardless.

"That would be reasonable..." he started only to disappear with a small tuft of ice and dust to mark his departure. Before a blink of an eye, he arrived by inches from the monk with his hand piercing the space where the heart should be. "To assume," he finished. Green eyes with their blue glow peered downward to find the monk somehow anticipated the attack and avoided it with the act of crouching in the same position of someone preparing to jump... yet the ground underneath him cracked under an unseen force that grew in the familiar spike the death knight became accustomed too.

The swift, demanding blow to his stomach however he wasn't familiar with as made evident with the shocked gaze that tried to follow the fist as he was uplifted.

A red-orange cloak bubbled into existence and formed like a shroud over the blond while he jumped up in pursuit of the agent of the Lich King. Another punch came at him and struck, yet it was only sharp than damaging or shocking as its predecessor due to its glancing nature. Another punch came and landed, further pushing him away into the relative safety of the sky.

A hand lazily corrected itself and an orb of dark matter was willed into existence; a short lived one. The cloak sprung forth a tail that turned into a claw of its own kind that grabbed Ulquiorra and made no effort to hide its aggression by slamming him into the ground below like a whip while its owner came at him by using the mass of energy like a tether to draw the two together.

A flurry of fists attacked, never relenting in their fury as each blow tried to wear down the death knight beneath them with enough power to force even the emotionless death knight to grimace in pain. A clawed hand clutched and another ball of dark matter form to which was slammed into his enemy's own stomach and sent _him_ flying away.

From afar the Gilnean duo stopped and stared for their own reasons, with the older one's hands resting on the pommels of each pistol as he took note of the retreating dead minions and the confused adventurers that recovered from the landing. A scowl easily slipped onto his face as his mind wracked itself for explanations and possibilities.

Gray eyes flicked over to find the death knight had climbed out of his crater and took to the defensive.

A pair of green eyes narrowed as it took in features previously unnoted: the monk's nails grew sharper and his hair spiked out in a more feral manner. What flash of teeth that could be seen between dodges and blocks that came at a cost revealed the canines of his teeth elongated to sharp tips as well much like a dog's would without the curve. Whisker marks on his cheeks thickened as well as became more pronounced, and lastly his eyes became red like a fire's before the pupil took the look of slits.

At first he was easy to handle, yet he kept coming like an animal. It was a deadly combination he was up against: speed, power, and training, none of which could pose a threat by themselves... then there was the 'cloak' or 'shroud' that covered him that spawned tendrils that moved like tails when not in use, the second one coming to life but half a minute ago if Ulquiorra had to guess.

He struck out to confirm his suspicions before retreating. It was like striking at armor with a dull blade... living armor to be more precise that moved as he did and came in a ever-present wave that washed over him as well as bubbled at times at a sudden of power influx in the cloak.

The death knight jumped to the side to avoid being impaled by the two 'tails' of unknown energy. He swiped at it as well only to find the same kind of resistance found in the main body. It was irritating to say the least for him with testament given by the clutching of a hand.

Once more he leapt away to avoid a low kick meant to rob him of his mobility and dark matter collected in now open palms of his hands. Flinging both forth, several blades were conjured and ripped through the air with the intent clear as they came closer at speeds only rivaled by the wind. The two tendrils shot forth in defense soon join by a third tail that met and dissipated from the meeting of blows, yet it did not cancel the rest of the conjured blades that only met dirt where the monk once stood.

He was in fact behind them in a charge concealed by the clash only to meet the death knight had enacted a similar plan with a claw extended with the coating of the same power as his other abilities to skewer him. The monk snarled slightly as he outstretched his arm in a lariat. Neither were deviating from the other.

Be it momentum or sheer will, they passed each other without a scratch to each other... no blow to be observed till they landed. From an unseen force, Ulquiorra's entire body bent much like he had indeed suffered the blow as it should have been and a small gout of blood escaped his lips while Naruto's chest bursts out in a gash as well as the partial ripping of the shroud engulfing him before it repaired itself.

The tails reconstituted themselves and lunged at the Aspa without the monk even turning his head. Ulquiorra, upon recovering, coated his hands once more and drew them back to counter the attack like before.

Yet cackling, sudden and terrible, came and threatened to force him to attack prematurely. It was the raucous laughter of a berserker finding what he coveted most... battle.

A scowl threatens to break upon his looks as he slams both hands together and forms a writhing blade made of the same substance that covered his hands to which he holds up to block a falling blade that wished to slice into him alongside its cackling owner. A single foot raised itself and slammed down, an act that willed forth a wall of ice from the dirt below to block the tendrils. It only worked for one of them. Rushing in from the sides, the two tendrils smashed into him and forced him away from none other than a surprised Kenpachi Zaraki. As he was whisked away, the Aspa took a dull note of a large figure hovering far above them; an airship that was training its guns on him.

Kenpachi meanwhile blinked his only eye available as he peered upon the strange pillars of energy that was constantly flowing from behind the erected wall that sought to break Ulquiorra upon an opposing wall further away. Turning about, he hacked away at the wall and stared at the very source of the red-orange streaks of energy.

"You were holding back at Storm Peaks, weren't you ya little punk?!" he roared indignantly.

An excited twitch disturbed his brow as his ears picked up a "maybe" from afar.

XVX

Above

"Is this another power a monk can control?" came the idle question of the Banshee Queen as she observed what was happening below. The gathering of adventurers at a rally point near the southern end of the forge works being a non-concern to her as one lone red eye discreetly gazed upon a silent woman as she too peered below. It was like she hadn't heard her as she frowned as she gripped the railing a bit harder.

Not close enough to being subtle enough for Sylvanas to _not_ gain an answer from. Both eyes narrowed as they witnessed an army of the man she despised was forced to the surface by the Aspa, whom had taken to hiding in the masses for reasons only known to him. "What is it you have in your command, Naruto Uzumaki?" she asked only herself with none the wiser in the midst of the chaos that was the ship's crew at full alert and trying to bring about every cannon to be the doom of the undead horde below.

"Priority target is the ugly bugger of a death knight lurking somewhere down there. You see 'im you blast 'im!" barked the captain as he strolled past the frenzied crew with his hands behind his back and an eye loosely making sure everyone was doing their job as far as his ship and the Argent Crusade was concerned.

"Verification request sir!" a crewmember shouted, earning the attention of the stout air captain. "Is the "ugly bugger" the orc or the human death knight, sir?"

"It's the one who is wearin' pink armor... IT'S THE HUMAN ONE YOU MORONS!" he howled with the utmost fury.

XVX

Below

It was almost a free for all as far as organization went. The Argent Crusade, being limited in number, often employed mercenaries from both the main factions of the Alliance and the Horde to deal with the problems that required more muscle than actual life and death threats that were commonplace in the world at large. A somewhat flawed trait if the problem was greater than mop up work that was often the job when dealing with certain regions containing the agonized dead.

Alliance, Horde, and even the seldom free agent were now fighting for their lives and souls as an army was called to the realm of the living by the power of the death knight the monk was at war with. Unfortunately as the threat came to prove, everyone belonging to a faction, any faction for that matter, stuck together to fight their own battles. The Horde and the Alliance fought their own battles and were content with ignoring the other while some of the free agents joined their former sides save for the more independent ones that either fought as a small group or by themselves. It was such a fate that the two Gilneans; both were cut off and given no choice but to fight off the roving corpses that came in waves. They were met with ice and lead.

Coyote Starrk seemed as bored and drowsy as ever as he blasted one skeleton, ghoul, or something else entirely away with but nary a glance in their direction without even leaving his spot, all the while his niece proceeded to either teleport or run in circles doing what was in her power to slow down the advancing horrors.

"You'd think you'd run out of bullets by now!" shouted Lilynette as she let a mirror image of herself take the brunt of a abomination's assault.

"One would think," he agreed loud enough over the roar of his pistols never ceased firing mixed shots between multi-shots to attacks imbued with more elemental properties.

If he could, his attention would've gone to a sudden rocking explosion that landed nearby, followed by another and even more. A small grin threatened to tug on his lips as he realized that the airship above had finally opened fire at the Scourge that threatened to overwhelm them.

The relief was momentary when another explosion buffeted them, though nowhere near them in origin. Yet another pillar of the same dark power rocketed skyward, and soon followed with the breaking of the mountainside along the northern walls from an unseen blow alone that destroyed the small peaks that christened its top.

Before long a blurred figure made its way to the airship above that failed to obliterate it in whatever aim it could muster before it hide along its underbelly that was a hull.

Even from a distance, the crunching of wood was unmistakable.

XVX

Purewind

A being ripped its way through the top deck from below with disturbing ease. What came out was a bizarre mix between a human and a bat with horns tilted back with its roots near his forehead that was covered in lanky midnight hair. His cat-slit eyes were blackened blue in the sclera yet didn't give off the glow associated with a death knight, and the irises bore a disturbing gold coloring with a ring of the dark jade that made its border. He bore no clothing but in its stead was coarse fur that matched the darkness of his hair that covered him entirely in all but two areas: above his waist minus his arms as they go past his shoulders.

The true differences between him and any human, aside from his horns and eyes, were the additions to his body such as a pair of leathery wings that held him aloft, just barely above the deck on purpose by right of their stride. His hairy hands were claws with fingers far longer than knives and most likely twice more dangerous. His feet were claws themselves with their nails easily digging into the wood beneath as the creature bobbed between the air and deck. Last was a tail with a spade at the end that gleamed unnaturally in the dim light.

"I thought I would find you here..." he announced without emotion, "Sylvanas Windrunner, and Jaina Proudmoore."

_(End Flashback!)_

XVX

Below

A boulder budged before suddenly being tossed away like garbage. With the cloak still active, Naruto groaned as he exited the crater Ulquiorra forced him in with nothing but a stagger. Turning his head he spat out a wad of blood before eyeing his now stained shirt from a more unsuccessful attempt, minus the blow from before of course.

"_You still have much to learn_," he mimicked to himself with a melancholic smile. "She's going to murder me for not blocking that one if she ever founds out," he mused to himself.

The sudden burst of energy that belonged to no one but a berserker had immediately robbed him of his attention as Kenpachi distracted himself with the variable army that surrounded him... till Naruto's focused to a more immediate and closer action that permeated the air and senses, the landing of a corpse. A sailor's corpse bearing the tabard of the Crusade.

His sight shifted to the ship above, now smoking as a battle raged upon it and more sailors were either falling out as a poor soul soon to meet a gruesome end or as a corpse already made. He glanced at the wall as a route to reach the ship, then at a small archway that served more as a intimidating decoration to a walkway above...

XVX

Purewind

"Sir!" a marine all but shouted as he snapped off a quick salute despite the situation at hand.

"What is it?" the dwarf captain growled without taking his eyes off the fight below. Sylvanas had been incapacitated, a sizable amount of his crew were either dead or injured in some fashion that he couldn't account for with the adventurer in the blue robes trying to mend to the wounded with the occasional green misted heal sent towards the only person staving off the bat from hell, the pink haired death knight was hopping from cannon to cannon trying to blast the damn thing off his ship, the hunter and her pet were most likely in shock thanks to a glancing blow from the hideous thing, and now Jaina Proudmoore was most likely _the_ last line of defense between ruin and victory... and that line was faltering even when the robe wearer directed all her might into assisting the mage mistress of Theramore. The situation was bleak if he was polite about it.

"We've received confirmation that reinforcements are en route via flying mounts. ETA five minutes sir!" the marine replied.

"Five minutes too late," he growled as he watched the bat-man break a pillar of ice with a _gentle_ swat of a hand.

"Resistance will only delay the inevitable, Lady Proudmoore," Ulquiorra intoned as casually as one would the weather.

The mage only held up her staff in defiance while she heaved heavily while ignoring the numerous cuts that now adorned her from leg to face.

"So be it." With a deliberate, perhaps mocking, slowed ease he had lifted his hand to point at the mage with a single sickle of a finger while his tail in contrast batted away one cannon ball after another from a annoyed Yachiru. A ghastly ball of ethereal black bathed the already hard to see finger in an aura of darkness. The two only continued to stare each other down in a clash of wills with the death knight's own gaze caring not for the counterattack awaiting to be released from the staff pointed so threateningly at him, with an orb of spiked ice gathering above its tip. No one breathed, nor twitched... sans Yachiru and whatever cannon she had under her control and to a lesser extent Ulquiorra in his mild defense.

Without warning his hand jerked away and blasted at a threat his eye did not deem worthy to gaze and raised his spare hand to block the incoming projectile that shattered against his palm, only to expand rapidly and became an impromptu wall that did not touch the ground that sought to skewer him. The stinging in his hand was tolerable at worse.

Painful if it was on par with the one nemesis that could confront him as was proven when a cloaked fist collided with his cheek during which a second one clamped around his outlying wrist to keep him from budging away from a second assault on his ribs rather than his face.

Meanwhile Jaina stood there with her rubbernecked sight as half of her working mind conjured another ice variant of spell craft. She had never once seen, nor heard of Naruto using such a unique ability that only a paladin, or perhaps a druid if not a shaman, could hope to replicate a living embodiment of energy to any extent. His entire set of features had changed, not by much but changed nonetheless to a more animalistic and if she were not imagining things, his eyes were changing from the blue she knew so well to a crimson red. He was snarling as he laid into the transformed death knight with one blow after another though she couldn't tell if it was from the number dead, dying or even wounded, or if it was from being left behind in what may have been a retreat on Ulquiorra's behalf. It may have been all of the above.

Regardless, the altered death knight was driven off with two palms to the chest that sent him overboard in a tumble that took a man-sized portion of the railing with him. In his rapid descent from the ship, Ulquiorra flipped himself and flapped his wings hard enough to correct himself as well as create a gust that affected no one but him as he ascended the sky once more, yet was countered with a less expecting force: ice. It was not one shard that came at him, it was several that surrounded him and moved as he did in a widespread circle.

He bobbed, they followed. He struck, they dodged. He dove, they chased. If they had a greater purpose other than to annoy him, he chose not to find out as twin spheres of darkness coagulated in his open palms; they expanded too rapidly for his attack to grow any larger than a large marble and consumed him in a makeshift prison. A prison that gravity had its way with.

Meanwhile back on the ship Naruto reunited with Retsu as she tended to the wounded with Jaina only looking on as she tried to regain her strength from her seat on the deck. Her mind was choked with a myriad of problems: lingering shock of the demolished hopes of Arthas still alive, a death knight in pursuit of her as well as Sylvanas, said knight was more than capable of handling them on his own, and undoubtedly his eventual return from the time she had bought for everyone were problems that could be named. Her mind was befuddled as to what to do. "Is there a point in resistance?" Only the more primitive side of her mind had an answer to that that was drowned in the aching and the misery that once was and what is happening.

Arthas... no... the Lich King was gaining power every day in his kingdom of death that continued to grow with the mounting dead of the fallen brought by a war that was nothing more than a grudge between warmongers that had a deaf ear to the notion of peace; even now some battle was being raged because someone held claim to a tower that only born significance with the placement of a banner atop it. The Blue Dragonflight sought the end to the "reckless" use of magic that mortals brought about and deemed his actions to be "safeguarding" the future of the world. Lastily the Horde and the Alliance were slowly and lowly calling out for another war...

Between it all champions were lost. For what purpose? Honor? Trinkets? Preserving their way of life?

"Does it even matter?" she whispered to herself as her body sagged.

XVX

"Remember your lessons, convert the energy before you use it," murmured the blond.

"I most certainly do have to remember my lessons given that you can't teach them to me," rebuked the raven haired woman in good humor with all things considered with a smile, albeit strained.

"Oh that hurts," whined Naruto as he looked on to observe the now accelerated process of mending wounds and revitalizing the injured... with the use of one of his tails. One by one in mere moments the injured and even some of the dying were mended and even revitalized, with only the dead being among the number they could not help by reviving them in time before their souls were lost to the nether or a far worse fate if such was the case, and the comatose through blood loss or other injuries too great to be treated on the spot; Rangiku being the latter by blood loss.

The dead were evacuated, lest they were made into agents under Ulquiorra's command, as well as the more exhausted or dispirited number of the crew upon the arrival of the Argent reinforcements that were willing to ferry them away by bird or by the life boats fastened to the ship's sides. It was a slow going process with the limits of both fronts as well as those left in need of aid, as was the case of Sylvanas who had been more beaten than slashed at.

Her own process was slow even with the aid of the cloak enhanced healing given the true extent of her injuries and the power of her life force that empowered her. Bones, organs, sinew... Ulquiorra taken to a more brutal approach to defeat her as a means to capture her. Naruto, during the rejuvenation under Retsu's ministration, had taken to act as a guard with his back turned to them with arms crossed and his staff once again in his clutch.

It wasn't without warrant.

"Here 'e comes again!" a sailor shouted from the side before retreating from his post, luckily avoiding what would've been a fateful slash that destroyed the wood that made the ship.

At a slow pace came the Aspa once again as impassive as ever. Bored eyes casually examined the deck for signs of his quarry only to find Sylvanas being attended by the female monk, as well as the distinct lack of bodies that were once lying about like macabre rugs. A lone brow rose in mild interest to find one of the tails of the blond monk's shroud was being used as a form of... something, perhaps as medium of sorts, that the black haired woman utilized for a spell of some kind regarding the Dark Lady. Only the barest twitch proved he shook his head in exasperation.

He flapped his way to the deck and turned to face the coated monk that continued to stare him down even as he came to rest on the deck below, both of which ignored the scattering of the decimated crew to the decks below to avoid the undoubted onslaught that was to ravage the ship once more. Only the captain as well as a small contingent of marines stayed behind at the very top of the ship to act as witnesses of the battle to come. Off to the distance the death knight noted the white of feathers of hippogryphs amongst other creatures of flight that were converging on the ship.

"Is there a point to foolishly defy the inevitable?" he asked solemnly, unconcerned with the concept of being beset by more crusaders amongst other things.

"Wouldn't you agree that sounds a bit presumptuous of you?" Naruto calmly rebuked.

An eyebrow was raised once more yet not much else. "I'm afraid I do not understand."

"Well," he started, "if we are to look at the very face of the question you posed, would you not agree that one of its underlying points is that you hold a belief that there is absolutely no chance of victory against you?"

"Indeed, and there isn't." The brow slowly came back to its origin.

Silence ensued between them as they ignored the world around them.

"Allow me to ask you this," Ulquiorra broke out as calmly as ever to the stern monk. "To what purpose do you stand between me, and by extent the Lich King, and those behind you?"

"To protect those I care about as well as protect those who cannot fight." The death knight only continued to stare at him without change. "I was not aware that Sylvanas had somehow incurred your favor, monk," he finally stated.

It was the monk's turn to raise an eyebrow which in turn sparked Ulquiorra's curiosity. "I have misread your answer then?"

"Unless I have misread yours first under the assumption that you thought she and I were friends. No we aren't friends. In fact it was only hours ago since we first met and since then neither of us made much of an effort to become as such." The pale man's brow only rose to by a fraction. "Then is it because she cannot defend herself that you fight in her stead?"

"Partially." At this, Ulquiorra's head did tilt slightly to his right. At the corner of his eye he noted that the birds of war under the Crusade's banner seemed to have disappeared, probably to utilize the bomb hatch to evacuate the remaining crew in the death knight's opinion.

"I have traveled much of the world and then some and I have made friends and allies over the years, some of which hold Sylvanas dear to their hearts even if they would most likely never meet..." At this the monk slowly unfolded his arms and began to spread his legs out in a crouch, and his staff was slowly being positioned behind him. "I know they would be irreparably pained to learn Sylvanas died, so for them I'm willing to fight you and anyone else who comes at her." He held a clenched fist up at him with a fiery glare and asked in a angered growl, "is my point clear to you now?"

The cracking of Ulquiorra's neck was enough of a response, further cemented with the arm once again pointed at him with a single digit that acted as a focus to a dot of a soon-to-be blast. The finger threatened to twitch when the near subtle twitching of his ear at the mutterings of the woman behind him.

Whatever was said, it was the trigger.

A pair of tails came up in a crisscross formation and knocked the extended hand up and away, allowing the blast to be render harmless. His spare arm came into action and blocked the staff from being used as an impromptu spear, his head inclining to the side to narrowly avoid a fist, yet he had no defense to a knee to the stomach to which repelled him. A clawed hand came to bear and slashed at the monk, only to find purchase in his staff raised in defense and prove which was superior: though with resistance, the enhanced nails sliced through the wood and nicked the shell that protected the face of the monk. Eyes gawked and narrowed in their own revelations yet the monk came at the death knight with a flying kick.

Ulquiorra broaden his stance and took the blow to his chest that was swiftly joined in another that released an arc of energy coated in red with a dark tinge of purple that seared his skin followed by a blow from the now crippled staff. The death knight stepped back and reared his claws for a quick slash. A burning blossom seemingly materialized out of nowhere served to stop him and blind him enough to be assailed once more by a lariat that caught his neck and dragged him over the bow of the ship alongside the only enemy available to challenge him.

"Oi! What tha hell is that boy thinkin'?!" came ttthe half demand, half question of the captain while his remaining staff scratched their heads.

Meanwhile Retsu only shunned the captain and the less vocal musings of the crew as they went to investigate with spyglasses and a small armament of rifles to defend them, her duty was mainly focused on tending to the Banshee Queen. A now wide awake Banshee Queen without her expected glare...

XVX

A stalemate was taking place in the diminishing sky between Naruto and Ulquiorra as the ground was fast approaching. As Ulquiorra had fast learned, six tails were now let loose on him only to be shredded between his claws and even his wings though to a lesser degree; yet he couldn't escape with their rapid reincarnation and flexibility. For Naruto however a disturbing truth was learned, regeneration; Ulquiorra was quickly recovering from wounds that by rights shouldn't have recovered by now, a trait he himself shared... though not even half as fast as Ulquiorra's own ability.

Four tails continued their assault only to meet the same results while two held back and formed red-orange coated spheres alongside his own hands. An almost absent growl of annoyance rushed passed the blonds' ears as his more unique variant of chi bursts were hurled at the death knight moments before either were met by the unforgiving ground, with the first landing in full force further embedded by the blasts of chi and the latter landing in a roll with a heavy thud at cost to himself that was repaired by his cloak.

Naruto scrambled to his feet and takes stock of the surroundings: corpses were all around the forge of the incomplete necropolis that hovered above his head, and no sign of anything that could be considered alive outside of the two combatents. "Good," he muttered, his body going slack as he turned to face Ulquiorra's crater.

What dust that was disturbed from their rest or created from the impact was blown away with a dispassionate wave of a leathery wing with the unemotional man simply staring down the monk. What wounds were on him were now on the last vestiges of their existence that were fading away. "If that is all you can muster then it would seem that your act of defiance is nothing more than a tactic to delay the inevitable," he stated without remorse nor pity.

His gaze shifted to the battlefield without a glimmer of grief besetting him. "I will admit that you and the rabble that now lurk inside our home have proven yourselves a greater trial than those who have come before you yet it is pointless." His gaze slowly returned to Naruto with a critical eye that lazily noted his features, now repressed and barely lucid to the world as favor turned to his own.

"In the end, we will win." Naruto didn't respond. "At my lord's command are armies that only grow in number with each man, woman, or child that falls. Leading his ranks are the death knights, liches, and the san'layn, each more than capable of decimating those who stand in their way. And leading them is the Aspa, our lord's chosen who are second to no one but him in the Scourge. You can struggle as much as you want but in the end you will fall. Those you have cared about will fall..." A pointed finger is now raised, far more slack compared to its previous risings, and points at the monk once more.

"One man or an army. With or without gods. All will bow to the might of our lord."

A fire seemed to have rekindled in Naruto's eyes and her cracked his neck. The shroud dies down, yet its presence only forces itself upon Ulquiorra in more dreadful waves. "I do believe someone who can disagree with that," stated Naruto in a half lidded glare as he held up a fist up, now being coated in a more viscous material coursing around it with the appearance of blood.

XVX

"By all that is holy! He changed into some sort of beastie!" another dwarf of the airship crew cried in shock as he observed the fight below with a spyglass.

Curious red eyes flicked to a solemn Retsu as he continued her ministration, however reduced it was as her nature finally resumed its duties to her preservation. It seemed she only attended to her to ignore the howling monkeys that now witnessed a battle amongst others things, with the former being supplemented by sailors emerging from the depths of the ship; roars and the destruction of the land below permeated the air, dulled only by the occasional chilling gale.

Her mind kept replaying the question over and over again. "What is it you have in your command, Naruto Uzumaki?"

Judging from Unohana's demeanor from before, either Naruto was a unique human even if he lacked skills as a monk or he had access to a power that is otherwise unattainable in general or its practice is frowned upon by the society the monk originated.

"Holy- He bisected the guy!"

"What does bisected mean?"

"Split in two!"

A fierce roar _rocked_ the ship.

Lips twitched on Sylvanas' face as her personal musings continued unabated. "If his power is on par with these "Aspa," and they in turn can defeat myself as well as _his_ former love interest in one sweep on a fully armed warship, then perhaps-"

"_No_."

The Dark Lady's contemplations were disturbed by the quiet yet forceful proclamation from the healer. Quizzical eyes turned to find a unexpected stern response from the woman at her side.

"He will not fight on your behalf for your personal vengeance." The red orbs of the Banshee Queen widened in shock before narrowing to dagger slits. "You presume much, _monk_."

"And you presume you are incapable of being read," Retsu countered over the cheer of the crew for an event only they know of.

"Am I to believe that you are capable of reading minds then?" she hissed.

At this, the hands of the mistweaver drooped till they reached her lap. "No, I am capable of reading people." The scoff in return was heavily laced in skepticism and contempt.

"Know this," she turned till her entire calm front was facing the injured monarch. "The core of a monk's training is not to seek the destruction of others, but to preserve harmony of our homes, neighbors, and family. He will fight for you to defend you on behalf of friends he had earned even at the cost of his life, but he will not fight for you if it serves only for desires that benefits yourself and no one else."

"Even if what I desire is the death of a man who threatens the world?" she angrily quipped. The monk closed her eyes and sighed. "I do not doubt that my master wouldn't ignore, let alone not aid, such a threat. But do not confuse his goals with your own."

The world grew strangely quiet.

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do after the demise of the Lick King?" asked the woman before the queen without provocation the minute she opened her eyes to the world once more.

Sylvanas didn't respond, nor did she even bat an eye at her.

"I see." A silverly brow poked up in confusion at the warrantless comment, and her confusion only grew when the monk got up, brushed her legs, and proceeded to leave. She had not taken more than three steps before stopping and turning her head to give the undead elf a soft blue eyed gaze. "Just remember what my master said: there are those out there who look up to you." With that she departed and went straight to the dwarf captain.

XVX

Ground

"You really enjoy leaving me powerless when we do that, don't you?" groaned Naruto as he dared not to move from his spot least he somehow conjure Ulquiorra back from a more permanent death.

"Yes. Yes I do," was the guttural response.

"So what do you think Lefty will do to me this time?"

"I would imagine tossing you into a angry Hozen family with your feet cemented into a block."

"Even if I had a legitimate reason this time?"

A cough rumbled from nowhere as a amendment was given. "With a staff."

"Oh how kind of her..." Laughter barked inside Naruto's mind that refused to die out as a familiar presence made itself known with the soft crunching of dirt. H e didn't need to guess who it was as a equally familiar smile crept into his line of sight.

"Please do not worry. I will help make the case in your defense in the event Master Shion learns of this."

Naruto only had the energy to groan in appreciation.

XVX

"Remind me not to get on his bad side Lilynette," half mumbled Coyote Starrk from atop the gate to the forge as his eyes were 'reluctantly' fighting off sleep as he eyed the rubble now making up the death knight's grave. The permanent kind if looks were to go by between the mauling and dropping a boulder on the corpse as a coup de gras.

"Do you think that guy is some kind of druid with that transformation?" queried the younger Gilnean as she as she peered on curiously.

Her uncle's yawn was the only response she got.

XVX

Meanwhile at the Medical pavilion, Court of Bones

"Sedatives! We need sedatives!"

"I thought sedatives doesn't work on undead in general doctor!"

"The _other_ kind of sedatives!"

"Mmmmph! Mrrphmmmh! Rrrrrmh!"

"Don't worry Kenny! Dandelion promised you would get a good fight for staying out of the way!"

"Ahrmmmm!" _Conk!_

"Doctor, I honestly think we need to find a more humane way to knockout our patients without medication."

"You wouldn't dare say that if you had Kenpachi as a regular..."

**A/N: For what it's worth I apologize for the delay.**

**Starrk/Lilynette: Really I didn't want to run with the basic concept of a human origin so I opted for something less common (at least in my opinion). That and out of all of Azeroth I can actually see pistols as a legitimate firearm found in Gilneas as the case was partially made by Godfrey (rogue Forsaken agent/Gilnean patriot/tratior) though admittedly the pistols could have come from anywhere. I could also imagine Starrk wearing a top hat.**

**Designs, clothes, and weaponry are loosely based on the original incarnations of these characters such as Starrk's dual pistols and Lilynette's monocle. Same applies for Ulquiorra.**

**If you are not found with the later half of the fight between Naruto and Ulquiorra, I do apologize for I was rushing this a bit and may, ****_may_****, comeback later to work on it a little.**

**Until next time.**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**


	11. Chapter 8

**This story is meant for entertainment purposes, I otherwise would not put a disclaimer here for Naruto and Warcraft... (Sniffs) I kind of wish I owned the latter though. For added protection, I also add Bleach though it is in terms of characters only, not universe. I own not those three.**

Path of a monk

Chapter 8: To tell of rest, relaxation, and truths

The Legerdemain Lounge, Dalaran

"Why are we doing this again?" grumbled an annoyed paladin of bright orange and spiky hair that bore what seemed to be a permanent scowl on his face. From neck to toe he was armored in the variety of plate armor bought off a merchant but customized with a thick black line bordering each and every edge of the plates. A blank tabard cloaked his chest from view. On his back was a claymore of simple design, but etched in small enchanted runes upon closer inspection.

"Come on Ichigo. I'd rather not tempt the wrath of your aunt, and even you admitted she's scary..." Next to the orange haired teen stood a shorter teenager, a girl no less, bearing the aura of a paladin. She stood a head shorter than her companion with her raven black hair and blue eyes. Adorning her figure was the once famed regalia of Judgement yet lacking the shoulders. Holstered to her waist was a broadsword with a golden guard and grip. On her back was a kite shield bearing gold embroidery only a smith can perform with a flower of five petals sitting directly in the middle.

"I can understand how I got wrapped up in this but how'd she convince you Rukia?" asked Ichigo, the taller of the two. "As I said, you're aunt is scary," grumbled Rukia with an edge of annoyance.

"So she doesn't trust me to look after... this guy." He cringed at the thought of _him_. For the life of him he cannot fathom why an older woman like his aunt, why Retsu Unohana, would follow someone around that was a little over a decade her junior all the while acknowledging him as her "master." Even if it was more for being her teacher, it was still disturbing to Ichigo; only nobility or armies had scenarios like that.

Now only two reasons kept Ichigo from bypassing the threshold of the inn that doubled as a bar: his lack of knowledge of the one known as Naruto Uzumaki, and the fearsome reputation of battle pegged with the recent addition of the defeat of a bat creature that single handedly defeated Sylvanas. "How am I suppose to defend myself if he suddenly wishes to kill me?! Oof!" With a scowl that only grew, he turned an aggravated eye to his petit partner. "If you're going to have such thoughts, keep them to yourself." An angry blush flooded Ichigo's cheeks as his attention returned to the doorway. "Besides, we don't want to give Lord Uzumaki the opinion that we don't trust him-"

A heart chokingly tearful sniff dashed Rukia's cautioning and both turned to find the man of their topic sitting on a barrel across the street from the inn. "Too late, my feelings are hurt! If the people my dear apprentice vouched for have so little faith in me then I guess I have to have only myself for company!" Bolting up without leaving the barrel, he then leapt away with tears in his eyes. "Farewell!" he cried out from halfway down the street and still going unabated while leaving the two paladins to stare at him with slack jaws of confusion. "Hey, wait!" Before Ichigo knew it, Rukia had taken him by the hand and proceeded to drag him to death in pursuit of the blond monk. "Come back Lord Uzumaki! It's a misunderstand, I swear it!" Rukia cried.

Neither had time to notice a heavily robbed and hooded man depositing a letter into the nearby mailbox, nor of his act of pulling out a small purple crystalline object from the folds of his robe. "I'm not that overdramatic..." grouched the man to the shard.

"That's not what I heard!" emanated a giggling reply from the shard.

"Oh... just have fun you evil kitty..." growled the robed man in mock indignity.

"Already am!" A dull explosion resounded from an unseen street, but the lack of sight did not dull the cries coming from it. "Where did all these monkeys come from! Hey! Stop that! Quit biting me!" Ichigo howled. Peacekeepers by the pair came running past, effectively ignoring everyone they passed. With a smirk the crystal was returned to the depths of the cloak before it was yanked off by the man's own hand to reveal golden blond hair...

"Sometimes people have to create their own entertainment," chortled Naruto as he casually strolled down the street and turned to the right, and took a left into a building bearing the healing cross. First to Your Aid, oddly enough the one and only clinic in Dalaran, and current residence of Rangiku... and Haineko too as he was soon reminded with the ash gray cat pouncing upon him.

"Ack! I surrender! Please get off me!" he pitifully cried, earning several chuckles from the only staff members of the clinic and one particular owner of the lynx in question dressed in a clean white hospital.

"A little help is appreciated!"

XVX

Peak of Serenity, Kun-Lai Summit, Pandaria

There have been many variety of smiles seen upon the face of Retsu Unohana. Each one painted in one emotion or another from bliss to sorrow. She even worn smiles with the sole purpose of intimidation. Yet out of all these smiles with their quirks and reactions to them, she only favored one: peace.

It was the peace found in sitting back and watching cherry blossoms dance in the wind. The peace found in watching a certain blond make a fool of himself with little heed to personal cost be it good or ill. The peace obtained by those who only fight because it's necessary, not because it is an option. The peace in knowing that a new generation prepared to brave the world with their own eyes.

"As enjoyable the sight is, didn't you come to train?" With a start, Retsu diverted her gaze from the training grounds below to a stern woman of the pandaren race, though hints of amusement haunted the edges of her face. Her fur was light brown where it wasn't white with the colored tufts surrounding and angling downward from her eyes by a diminutive run. Her actual hair was pulled back into a bun with the uppermost of it colored white. From personal experience, Retsu knew that her hair cascaded down her back with two jets of white meeting at a sloping point in the shape of a sloping V. Seemingly keeping her from the biting cold of the mountains were studded leather garments of armor protecting her chest, legs, and feet though to a lesser extent; her toes were left out in the open. Protecting her hands were hand wraps lacquered brown and engraved in small white runes native to Pandaria. Lastly, garbing her waist, was the traditional rope-belt of the monks colored black with a silver pendant inscribed with a black paw.

Straightening herself, Retsu fully turned to the monk and gave a long bow. "Master Shion," she uttered respectively.

Returning the bow, the monk gestured for Retsu to follow as she headed for a nearby bridge connecting the current plateau of the Peak of Serenity to another. "I hope you pardon the detour but I need visit the Tiger Shrine. So how is the Snack Thief doing since we last spoke?" inquired the monk.

Retsu smiled more pleasantly as they crossed the threshold. "He is the same as ever." A slight snort softly cracked through the air. "He claims to follow the Way of the Wanderer yet I swear he follows Huojin more passionately with each bend of the river." A soft giggle emerges from Retsu. "He never was one for sitting still for long periods of time," she softly agreed. "Yet let it not be said he doesn't make things interesting time from time."

With a lazily turn of the head, the monk calmly eyed a small pack of steam pools lying but a way from beneath the bridge. "That he does," she replied.

_(Flashback!)_

Nine years ago

The Peak of Serenity, one of the oldest monasteries of Pandaria, trained far more generations than any could count! Many legends have surrounded the ancient den of learning in the mountain, born from unique minds and hard work that have made legends! Unfortunately, in the eyes of Mushi Shion, one such legend was born from the former. Specifically if that mind was bored and somehow tasked with the duty of preparing dinner.

It was the second week of the season where new blood entered the hallowed training grounds and the corridors built inside the mountain, accessed only by passages kept secret to keep the less than hospitable out, when a young aspiring monk-in-training happened upon a group of likewise students and the one and only human living in Pandaria that had just moved from the region of the Jade Forest. "What is going on here?!" she demanded in slight panic.

From what the eye could see, a small pack of monks had somehow gotten their hands on stilts, fashioned large wooden spoons to be used in conjunction with the stilts, and had taken to pouring barrel after barrel of various ingredients including but not limited tomatoes crushed into paste, vegetable oil, broth, and diced vegetables themselves. "Making dinner," replied one slightly cheeky trainee with blond hair and whisker marks on his cheeks.

"Oh so that's what you're doing." Startled, she whipped around to find one of the older monks that had taken to training the new generation. By pandaren standards he was clean shaven, yet his face was slightly shaggy where a beard and mustache would be. His own none-white fur was black with a single patch of black covering the area of his right eye. Keeping him decent was a set of robes fashioned to have legs at the bottom rather that its typical fashion of spreading out as one cloth, and on top of that was another robe colored pink and given flowers that only sat atop his shoulders yet never flew off no matter how strong the wind was. On top of his head was a simple straw hat shaped in the style of a sakkat. "Master Kyoraku!" Mushi gasped as she snapped off a quick bow.

Returning the bow, the elder monk shuffled past her only to stop at the outermost edge of the pool being converted into soup while the trainees continued to pour and mix, albeit with a now hesitant pace. Staying where she was, Mushi spied the elder monk bending slightly before straightening himself out and raise his hand up while his head bowed a little. Her ear twitched upon the utterance of something from the master's front. "Is that...?" she thought to herself as she dared to venture forward to a small distance from his side.

Her jaw dropped upon finding Master Kyoraku grasping a ladle, as to where he got it she could not fathom, slurping from the small cup on it. "Needs more seasonings," he finally commented. Mushi's jaw threatened to dislocate itself.

_(End Flashback!)_

Mushi Shion had taken to slightly shaking her head at the memory with a slight roll of the eyes but a small smile tugged at the edge of her lips.

XVX

Meanwhile, Dalaran

A soot covered Ichigo crash landed onto his back and coughed out a small cloud of black smoke. "He's insane," he weakly gasped.

All the while Rukia tried to free herself from the confines of a barrel. "You just had to egg him on, didn't you Ichigo?!" she accused while grunting from her intended escape. Ichigo could only weakly groan.

All the while a nearby gnome without a beard or mustache brought a pair of goggles down from their rest on his forehead to spy on one grinning monk as he peered down on them from a roof with a mischievous grin plastered on his face. A curious brow was raised but quickly replaced with a placid one returning to its natural setting while the owner in question trudged off with no intent of interfering with... whatever this scene is.

XVX

First to Your Aid

"So how're you holding up Rangiku?" The high elf smiled warmly as she replied, "Much better now that you're here." At this Naruto adopted a sly, ear-to-ear grin that showed all of his teeth. "Well what can I say..." he started out humbly... before jumping up on his collected chair with hands on his hips and his chest puffed out. "My presence alone is enough to give spirit to the spiritless! Heals wounds that are declared permanent! My presence along can only culumlated into one word: Awesome!" Naruto boomed and finished with a cackle before it was forcibly ended with a swift and decisive flick to the ear by one of the only three attendants of the clinic.

"We would appreciate it if you kept an indoor voice from here on out, _sir_," the attendant _politely_ asked with a threatening smile on her face. Naruto silently acquiesced with the mute plop of settling back into the chair though armed with a pout reminiscent of a child's pout upon being told no, his bottom lip sticking out to maximize the effect. Rangiku giggled away without remorse in favor of the entertainment presented to her even after the nurse retreated to her duties.

"I hope I'm not interrupting something," came a stern voice which drew many a eye to the only door to the clinic. He had the stature of a gnome though taller than most by a couple of inches. He had ice white hair spiked back though slightly a mess with but a few locks falling down his face. Sitting in the space between his hair and eyes lie a pair of goggles with a small leather-like nose guard, it was simple brown leather-like substance given a sheen with age and use with black glass to shield the eyes if ever drawn. Sitting atop his left shoulder was a broad shoulder piece of cloth with two sharp points lying curved up to avoid the neck and curved down to give a short chase to his arm, it was segmented as well as bordered in ice blue lines while the rest of it was a deep blue. Covering all but his boots which peaked out from under, and hands garbed in black fingerless gloves, was a billowy cloak of deep blue with a small bordering of the same ice blue found on the shoulder piece. His only visible armament was a staff primarily made of rich oak crafted for any mage with a rough hewn crystal of blue ice that had the etchings of a dragon encircling it despite its jagged appearance, with a ring of shards bearing the same general appearance encircling the crystal itself in its own orbit.

"Toshy! When did you get here?" one bed ridden busty elf cried in joy, much to the chagrin of the gnome in question as made evident with the instantaneous scowl and the heavy indentation of one of his eyebrows. "It's _Toshiro_," he said with heavy restraint, though the venomous rage leaked out by a smidgeon. It was ignored.

"Oh! So you're the one Rangiku talks about! Nice to meet you, I'm-"

The neigh of a horse interrupted him without warning followed by the quick stomping of armored boots in a rush. A soldier bearing the colors of Theramore stopped short of tramping Toshiro by accident and snapped off a respectful salute to the current guests of the clinic. "Lord Uzumaki, we respectively request your presence at the Violet Citadel!"

He largely ignored the utterance of the preference of the man in question of being called by name rather than title, and the _clang_ of a book bouncing off his helmet from an attendant demanding silence. He flinched when he spotted a even larger book being held up threateningly by another attendant.

Gentling clapping Rangiku on the shoulder, the other blond smiled as he got up. "I'm going to see what's so urgent to send for me. I'll be back later!"

At the cost of twitching brow on Toshiro's part, Naruto leapt over the mage and bypassed the solider now stumbling out of the way, furthermore in a short chase of the monk only to stop at and get onto his steed before resuming the chase. A heavy disheartened sigh drew the gnome's attention to the bedridden elf as she glumly stared at the spot the monk was at moments before. A flicker of mild annoyance crosses her gaze for only a moment when the now vacant seat had been claimed by the white slightly messy haired mage. Momentary as it was, it didn't escape the observant and sternly quizzical gaze of the gnome.

"I take it he's one of your more difficult conquests?"

Sparing only a glance at her companion while she settled back into her bed as opposed to sitting up in it, the high elf sighed wearily as he eyes drifted to the ceiling. "No, he isn't," she wearily sighed out.

Toshiro's gaze casually shifted away from Rangiku to the only doorway in or out of the clinic. "Usually," he started before returning to Rangiku with a measure of restraint evident in what he's about to say, "when you get depressed, it's because you think your skills in _seduction_ have _deteriorated_..." He only grew more curious at the strange smirk adorning the elf, all he knew for certain is that it had no true connection to her response. "Still not fond of talking about 'improper' subjects eh?"

"No, I'm not," he agreed in a deadpanned fashion.

The smirk widened ever so slightly at the small amusement garnered from Toshiro's reply. It slowly died however from his uncompromising stare. "It's nothing," she mumbled whilst turning her to her side to present her back to the gnome.

She soon found the butt end of the staff gently prodding her back.

"I'm not interested in talking about it," she responded without looking. Her glazed eyes refusing to acknowledge the fact that the other current residents and even the staff had taken to watching the drama that was them over everything else worth of some interest. Toshiro only sighed.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," he grumbled to himself as he scratched the side of his head to relieve himself of some of the aggravation. The scratching stopped with the opening of his mouth to speak, which itself was a halted action with the turning of the high elf to wearily eye him with a small twinkle of appreciation. "It's not something a party and a few... 'friends' can fix or make me forget, but thank you anyway." She wearily smiled at him with warmer appreciation than in her eyes.

The gnome jerked his head to the side with a growing embarrassed blush on his cheeks. "I didn't say anything," he mumbled. The smile didn't leave Rangiku's lips as she returns to her other side once more at a relaxed pace, it vanished soon afterwards with the poking of Toshiro's staff on her back again. "I still don't want to talk about it," she groaned.

The poking continued without relent.

"Nurse," Rangiku groaned.

XVX

Violet Citadel roof, second tier

Dalaran, being a city of mages so saturated with magic and its use that even its most mundane of citizens, deposition a nonissue, have been known to carry at least one or two trinkets performing unique functions often only dreamed off, came with a great many wards meant to make life ideal as well as unique. Unique being the more difficult to accomplish now with the accomplishment of having a entire city floating in the sky without causing panic; no denizen from the flying city panicked at least. Wards and sentries were in place to prevent entry or at least weed out agents with allegiance to the Scourge be it permanent or temporary regardless of consent. Talismans hidden in walls and roofs all but forced carpenters and other such craftsmen from having to repair them, only to build other structures or add onto them. Totems of power crafted by magically inclined hands inscribed with enchantments kept the biting winds of the north from harassing visitors and citizens alike as well as keeping the temperatures at ideal conditions year round from their hidden roosts. Yet peaceful smiles and idyllic life free from danger did little to comfort hurt souls that found it difficult to rise on their own power; unless their purpose was to be left alone at least.

At most she suffered the occasional cool breeze from her spot, yet the real pain lay underneath the skin.

She knew it was a long shot before she came; far too many years have passed since they last met, made only worse with the departure being less than ideal on all counts save any screaming and the trading of spiteful words; his enemies have more than made up for the lack of it on her part. She had been warned by many who made no effort or far too little of it to hide their opinions of what they thought of that man. He shown no mercy to anyone who has crossed his path, forced retreats or deliberate acts of cruelty stood in that word's stead; Sylvanas and Darion could attest to that with much venom that would make giants and dragons wince or regret the asking. He made no effort to hide his malice, only the greatest of bastards would dare dress up an invasion as anything other than what it was. He was evil incarnate now with a body to prove he once was the man known as Arthas Menethil.

Yet a question kept itself present in the mind of Jaina Proudmoore, "Why can't I stop crying?"

She had not sobbed, cried, damned, or even hiccupped since she had fled to the southern roof of the citadel's balconies to avoid the company of others. Yet tears flowed freely from her while she huddled herself against her legs.

"It's probably arrogant of me to say this but I thought I was the only one with this habit." Jaina's head whipped to her left to spot the intruder to this scene.

"Though when I do it, it's usually easier to get to it by foot if someone had the right training or means."

Jerking her head to her right, she found none other than the sly, cheeky grin of one Naruto Uzumaki. Cool fresh air storming her lungs felt as pleasant as placing a bare foot in snow. "Naruto!" She nearly toppled over in shock of his sudden presence.

The grin slowly faded to a amiable smile with his attention shifting over to the mountain range that dominated the view of the world below. "Though I can understand the reasoning. Makes it easier to avoid unwanted company if you place yourself in out of the way spots, especially if their hard to reach."

He received no response from a sullen Jaina as her own gaze shifted to the mountains themselves.

"I almost always used trees myself. Mountains were more preferable however but it's a matter of which is the most convenient at the time to be honest."

"What's the point." The monk slowly turned to the only other blond on the roof. If he was shocked or upset, he didn't show it.

The only other pair of blue eyes looked at him in expectance for the question to come, "The point to what?" Or at least its equivalent. It didn't come.

"What's the point of it all?" she asked again though elaborated. The twirl of the hand from the monk encouraged her to continue even with her sight averted to the mountains again. "I risked my life, your life, and the lives of others for something _I should have_ accepted by then... The man I once knew if but a husk of what he was that gave himself over to a creature of evil that damns souls and grows ever stronger... No matter what I do there are armies that would rather destroy each other and the lives around them long before the idea of peace comes to mind, and even then it would be to the dead or dying... And just about every day a new threat arises to destroy the world because someone took the last bagle..." Her teeth clenched and ground into each other harshly. "SO WHAT'S THE POINT OF ME DOING ANYTHING?!" she suddenly screamed to the skies above. Birds may have scattered but the monk didn't flinch, it looked as if he even expected it with the cool air he projected. A tired forehead came to rest of a pair of knees, and stifled whispers of choked sobs leaked out with almost no hope of being unnoticed.

She did nothing else when a hand gently lays against her back and rubs it.

"A question everyone asks at least once in their lives..." Jaina only continued to rest her head against her knees. "Ultimately the only person who can answer..." She lifted her head up just to give him the look of one tear laden eye. "Is you," he finished.

A derisive sniff preceded her response. "That's it?" she spoke incredulously. "No "Buck up! Things will get better!" or sage words of advice?!"

"Yep."

"That's-"

"Completely asinine? Idiotic to say? Pointless?" Naruto intervened with an odd smile. There was no anger, it seemed more like humbled amusement. Without warning, the blond had taken to lying on his back and gazing up at the passing clouds.

"As I said, _everyone_ asks that at least once in their lives. The first time is always the hardest, especially when you feel like your back is against the wall." His smile became nostalgic. "I was seven when I asked that question."

He almost smirked at Jaina's intelligent response of "huh?"

"There's at least one other continent out there that isn't in anyone's map, no one, including myself, knows where it is, and it isn't Pandaria. "The Elemental Nations" is its name and I was born there." The smile became slightly bitter. "Admittedly I'd rather be born elsewhere if it was a choice."

Jaina's form finally started to straighten up yet her legs were still being hugged to her person, and a small un-understanding frown played upon her lips.

"It too is a continent of humans though armed with far different abilities than what you would encounter in Azeroth in general." He placed a hand behind him and propped himself up to give her proper attention with a single finger held up from his spare hand. "I can only vouch for one "class," if you will, that is specific to that continent. Shinobi."

Even with the smile on his face, Jaina could almost swear she thought she saw a ghost of one on his face formed by bitter memories in almost direct response to a questioning raise of her eyebrow.

"Admittedly I only know and can name only one of these "shinobi" that you would most likely encounter. But to describe a shinobi..." A frown marred his form in silent thought. "You've seen me fight right?" he suddenly asks, his smile slightly returning for a short while upon her nod. "Well imagine a person with my skills, given the personality and tactics of a rogue loyal to a government like the SI: 7 for example, and add a dash of a mage's arsenal of spells and that's the person you would be facing." The sorceress actually grimaced a little in the imagining of an enemy like that during which the monk laid on his back again.

"In case you ever find yourself threatened by one such person, the key to their more energy based attacks in majority is the use of their hands. Think of it as the shinobi's equivalent of a mage's tongue when they are casting a ritual spell, and the hand signs they perform are their version of that tongue."

With a sigh, Naruto looked up at the sky as his eyes started to take a distant look to them. "When I was younger, up to the age of seven really, I wanted to be one and it wasn't because I thought they were cool or that I wanted to become famous..." He was silent for a moment before he chuckled softly. "Ok, maybe fame played a factor..."

The chuckle died and a sigh expelled through his nose this time. "I did it to gain the respect of the village I lived in. It was the only answer I had to a difficult situation."

"For my entire life in that village up till I left, I was hated for reasons I was never told of. Other children kept their distance from me or were shooed away, and some were even encouraged to attack me." The frown on Jaina only creased further. "And then there were the adults general..." The monk grimaced. "I'm not sure which I find worse, the shunning or any of the beatings." Jaina's attention focused solely on him now.

"How I left was by complete accident: I was running from a mob and taken refuge inside an apple barrel of all things, but I ended up sealing the lid too tight for me to escape from it." A small chortle escaped him, "I almost screamed my head off when I learned that..." He shook his head in amusement. "As it would turn out, the barrel belong to a ship and that ship was to head out to sea. Being inside a barrel, I wasn't privy to too much of what was going on in the world around me. We could've spent days traveling to the ship, days on the ship... all I really know was when we were at sea and a storm hit the ship, and subsequently me..."

A sentimental smirk adorns his features. "I woke up on the shores of my home by the time the sun was sitting in a clear sky."

"W-wait..." Naruto's head leisurely rolled to the sorceress. "I thought you said you didn't know where this "Elemental Nations" is." He nodded. "Then how did you get to Pandaria if you landed back in-"

A small chuckle interrupted her. "Being born in one place and calling one home are two different matters." With that he turned to the sky with a peaceful smile. "Pandaria _is_ my home..." Then the smile became a little bitter. "Though not to cheapen my home and disregard everything I was taught, I'm fairly sure if I landed in on the shore of a nearby town without limit as to who or what called it their home, be it human, orc, goblin, Forsaken, draenei... or even picked up by a ship full of pirates, I would without a doubt call that place and its people my home and family for the offering of a kind hand."

"It was... almost like I could finally breath again when I arrived there. No hateful glares, no waking up at the middle of the night to find my place of rest under attack by someone hitting on the bottle or just didn't aim for discretion... I could just walk out in the sun and smile a real smile. I could enjoy a meal without worrying about abandoning it. I could take a nap on a rock and only worry about being burnt by the sun." The ghost smile returned. "Of course it was on those shores that I had asked my question without actually asking it."

"You see," he once again props himself up only to sit rather than give himself the option of laying back on a moment's notice, "a scholar grew too curious to where I came from and got his hands on some old rags that were my clothing for a time. Apparently it was enough for a ritual for a local priest... or shaman, I never really understood the particular culture he belonged too, who had used his abilities to gain an insight to my past with my clothes as a medium... Or more accurately what collected on my clothes over the years such as sweat and blood."

Jaina's brow creased in minute worry when the smile became more hollow. "Like magi, shinobi can perform many spells that can border on the impossible. One of these skills is an art known as sealing which in itself has a great many uses such as making an object much heavier than it should be, preventing enemies from using their abilities, and store objects in carefully prepared lettering... sealing is much like enchanting only more versatile in use." He took a small deep breath. "It was because of this versatility that I was forced to partake in a undesired fate the very day I came out of the womb, ol' Kurama went berserk that day on the whim of another."

"Kurama?"

A quizzical eye turns to the curious but concerned blond and stayed there for seconds before realization had hit him. "Got a little ahead of myself," he chuckled as he scratched the back of his head.

"In the Elemental Nations reside a total of nine creatures referred to as Bijuu, or Tailed-Beasts for short. The long short of it is that they are gargantuan creatures mildly resembling ordinary creatures they are named after, as well as bearing the number of tails befitting of their name." A thumb jabbed to himself. "To utilize them against other villages, its common practice to capture and seal them into living hosts to augment their powers much like specially crafted weapons, armor, and even glyphs." Eyes widened at the underlying statement brought on by his thumb.

"Kurama is one of the bijuu, he is the Nine-Tailed Fox." A forlorn smile graced his features as Jaina's jaw moved with the desire to speak, yet doesn't. "All I know is that somehow he was wrested from his previous host by someone with an ability unique to only one bloodline, and that's as far as the tale goes on his part."

"Pardon?" Jaina inquired.

A smirk replaces the smile. "Oh we speak to each other now and then. We're not exactly friends but nor are we enemies."

With a shake of his head he continues. "Meandering aside, when I learned the reason I was hated was because I was the living prison for something that attacked them, I was crushed..."

Her jaw finally found its use in conjunction of a weakened voice. "Naruto..."

"It felt like an avalanche landed directly on me and I didn't die from it," he continued. "In a strange way it was liberating to have an ever looming question finally be cast aside, even if it was at the cost of personal innocence." His gaze tilted skyward once more. "Questions upon questions began to pile up: Would I ever get a fair shake? Is there a point in going back? Is there a point in staying here? Am I a demon? What happens now?"

Without a hint to warn her of it, he started to laugh a throaty chuckle to which made the sorceress fear for the other blonds' sanity. "Apparently I had voiced the last question out loud at some point," his worn but amused gaze fell to the ruler of Theramore, "care to guess what the answer to that was?"

A grin snuck onto his lips as he huffed in restrained laughter from the shake of her head. "To find the answer, you must take the first step forward." At first I just thought Master Yamamoto was simply messing with my mind at the time when he abruptly just vanished when I blinked, and I gave chase to where I thought he went." His gaze returned to the sky. "Somewhere along the way I just stopping traversing the paths to find him and saw the world." The grin became more gentle. "I ended up walking the roads during the night and during the day with the occasional militia patrol and the wildlife for company. I walked the streets of nearby towns and was greeted by the waves of the passerby and shop owner. And I eventually stopped at the Temple of the region and just watched the monks there train."

Leveling his gaze, he also brought an arm up to his field of view. "Something clicked back then... the pandaren in their early history were slaves to an empire that spanned over the majority of their home. After years of oppression they finally rebelled with arts of strength only achieved with the balance of the strength of the body, the wisdom of the mind, and the harmony of the spirit. Since the foundation of their own nation, they have kept the peace of their home, family, and friends they have made for centuries even after its formation through hard work and sweat." His hand clutched gently with itself. "Even if the world or those who live in it are not perfect, they fight for its preservation."

He finally returned his gaze to the other blond on the roof, whose tears had long stopped flowing. "In a way he proved a point to me back then before I even realized it. The answer to your question can only come from you." A hand slowly reaches out to her with the palm facing the skies above. "And I'm willing to help you find it if you want it."

XVX

Legerdemain Lounge

Even when pouting and laying on the bar, Rangiku Matsumoto drew many an eager eye from the male patrons of the lounge regardless of allegiance if they existed to begin with. The red swashbuckler shirt and the tight leather pants did nothing to dissuade the lustful eyes.

The more Toshiro thought about it, her mood was more entwined with the monk. This hypothesis was further supported upon the discovery that the bartender had been specifically asked not to serve alcohol to his high elf friend, on the count that she had been recently released from the clinic in hopes to prevent a more immediate return as per the hopes of the staff there for the sake of protocol, to which did little more than to receive a glancing notice. There was only one way to confirm or abolish this thought.

"What exactly is this Naruto Uzumaki person to you?"

Rangiku sighed heavily. "I don't want to talk about it," she repeated for the umpteenth time. She made no indication of acknowledging the whine from Haineko as she tried to sink further into the bar.

Unfortunately she knew it wouldn't stop there.

"I'm not going to give up this easily," he intoned as he tried to burn holes into her head through the power of his unrelenting stare.

"A trait you both share," she mumbled.

"Hello milady." An elf, a _blood_ elf with long auburn hair, drew their attention with the forced occupancy of an adjacent stool more so than his call for attention. In the eyes of the high elf, his sparkling smile did not improve his standing. A likewise thought for a certain gnome too.

"May I buy you a drink?" he offered with a grin which soured slightly as a lone hand waved him off.

"Oh come on!" he whined softly as he scooted closer without invitation. "Perhaps I can help you forget whatever it is that's troubling you?" he softly offered with a sly grin. It too faltered as the same hand dismissed him again.

He leaned back casually and schooled his face to a more suave, cool and distant gaze as he leaned into the bar with the side of his back, with his right bent arm keeping him from falling as he presented himself with his eyes still trained on her. "You know," he started again, "if a someone left a woman such as yourself without an escort in a bar, then I doubt they're worthy of your beauty. Perhaps-"

"Perhaps you should be with someone like me?" Rangiku voiced in a obviously exaggerated tone to mimic the one pestering her. Two sets of brows furrowed for differing reasons, even more so when a smirk played itself on the elf's lips.

"I've been around the block far longer than you have and I heard all the lines, partook all the schemes, and learned the cultural preferences from more than one race as well as their language just for the fun of it." The smirk became bittersweet. "I ended up waking up in more beds than I dare to count with hangovers and a clear mind alike with the former being in the lead." Ever so slowly she shifted towards the blood elf while leaning heavily on her own arm that rest on the bar. "Each and every time I woke up I have come to regret the night before in a different manner each time." Her smirk grew into a more passionate smile as she spoke once more. "So far there has only been one regret that I love."

Before a voice could give birth to the question that mounted between the two of them, between Toshiro and the elf, she answered without reproach while armed with a bittersweet smile far grander than the smirk. "What I regret is the fault of the man I desire; the one who makes me feel like a woman without expecting a thing in return."

A scoff sounded out to which the high elf only shook her head as she returned to her former setting to grasp a goblet of water innocently awaiting her. Cool teal eyes momentarily flicked over to a disgruntled elf abandon his attempt with no more  
than a quiet grunt from shoving himself away before turning to a somewhat mournful one as she got lost in the still waters of her drink. It was starting to come together in the mind of the gnomish mage but questions remained...

"Ah ha!" A certain pair of blue eyes lit up the moment a familiar voice shouted.

XVX

Runeweaver Square

"You have to be quicker than that you two!" 'Naruto' gleefully tantalized with a never fading grin from a bench that enabled 'him' to observe two battered soot and tar covered, ith a few chicken feathers stuck in it, beleaguered, and slightly if not more so irate paladins that were giving 'him' a deadly glare from across the miniature park that was the square; neither willing to get up from yet another ambush involving tar and chicken feathers until a plan was formulated between the two of them involving the... pacification of a crazed monk with a mean streak in most likely predetermined traps aimed to humiliate and tire them out.

Only the 'monk' took notice of a new presence who stood on the sidelines with an unreadable blank slate for a face as she took in what she saw. It took the cheeky waving from the 'monk' to permit the two worn paladins to recognize a third party to their citywide chase, the presence of whom giving forth a spurting rise from a paling Ichigo. "Aunt Retsu?"

The monk remained motionless for a moment before she took to a slow paced advance towards a unmoving, grinning 'blond' who lounged back on the bench. Wires were tripped, traps activated, and utterances of confusion were given with little care on anyone's part.

Small but quick beanbags shot out from camouflaged mechanisms. They were swatted away without so much as a glance on Retsu's part.

Small but tremendous, to the ears, explosions erupted around her. She only batted away more beanbags aimed at her that popped out of the smoke and fire.

A tripwire was crossed. She simply rolled forward and continued her pace without a blink of the eye about the act and a the bald pink bearded gnome flying out of a catapult disguised as a bush while screaming "Ooga booga!" He landed with a grunt and nothing else. Off to the side Ichigo couldn't help but voice his opinion, after staring at the gnome for a full minute of course. "What kind of life has she been living to not even gawk at that?"

"I do not want to know Ichigo..." muttered Rukia as she tried to clean herself to a less dismal state; little success was to be claimed in giving her armor a glimmer of its now tarnished glory.

Retsu Unohana had taken to a sudden halt for a moment, long enough for a bola to land on the ground with a heavy thud, before proceeding to the 'monk' before her. Eyes locked between the two for a speechless moment before the raven haired woman spoke up. "Are you done tormenting my nephew and his friend for the day, Lady Yoruichi?"

"Wait... what?!" Ichigo cried! Rukia's only reaction was the twitch horribly at the concept that they were chasing _the wrong person_.

The grin grew much more catty, and when the 'monk's' lips opened to speak it was not in Naruto's voice, but a sultry woman's. "Actually I was hoping to have another hour or so with dear little Ichigo and miss Kuchiki." 'Naruto' exploded in a plume of smoke which blew away to reveal the true culprit to the paladins' grief.

There in 'Naruto's' place now sat a richly tanned woman of golden eyes and purple hair tied back in a ponytail though some locks of her hair escapes to the sides of her face; the catty grin having never left the imposter's face after being revealed. She too wore a set of armor once coveted by many, the regalia of the Bonescythe with her own shoulders missing much like Rukia's own armor.

Her grin dropped for a moment as she sniffed grievingly and she brought a finger up to flick away a nonexistent tear. "I guess all good things must come to an end," she mournfully said. "Oh well!" With her sudden change of mood, she grabbed at the back of the bench, flipped over it without letting go, planted her feet on it and subsequently kicking herself back from it. Her kick had sent her flying at an angle only the more skilled of rogues can perform which she used to grab at an outlying railing to which she pulled himself up and climbed to the roof with a feline grace. She turns her head back to glance at the three below, the gnome departing long beforehand, and gave them the same catty grin as before while she stood up on the roof.

"It's been fun while it lasted! I'll see you later Ichigo!" she crooned with delight, and gave him both a wink and a blown kiss before departing to a destination unknown.

"Please tell me that Naruto guy isn't her best friend or something..." groaned the male paladin.

The nervous chuckle from his aunt from his mother's side of the family only shot, strangled, and burned those hopes.

"I'm afraid they are very close..."

XVX

K3, Storm Peaks

"You're one to talk you gorilla woman!"

"Take that back you runt!"

"Now, now. You two are acting immature again."

"SHUT IT!" two bickering voices screamed in unison.

A lone trudged through the snow without heed to the now three person argument that slowly faded with each step forward, her eyes not bothering to take note that only a handful of the goblins that had set up shop at the mountain base had taken any at all interest in the three no matter how vague. The only thing she truly cared about, only by a slim margin, was the number of steps between her and the mailbox in her sight.

She was a beauty to anyone's eyes, pure or perverted alike, with her mocha skin made only visible from gabs in the protection that was her apparel: it was similar to the design of the armor of Judgement, yet perverted from its purity in gold and its supplement of red; where once gold lay only silver remained, and its darkened crimsoned replaced with the darkness of black. No pauldrons were on her person, and her armor was modified to expose her midriff without care on her part on who would see it as well as made to fit her form with unnatural ability to hug every curve of her body with a firm grip without discomforting its wearer; a fact more than one leering eye confirmed.

Only one feature marked her as something else than a warrior, or a paladin without a taste for presenting oneself as pure, and it lied just beneath her paled blond hair held back by several strips of paper though not in a recognized fashion. Glowing blue eyes. A death knight's eyes.

She reached into the mailbox, undisturbed by the world around her, and collected a series of letters and parcels that bore her name: Tier Harribel... save for one. It was a name few ever dared to write to gain her attention.

Or rather few have earned that right before and after her death.

Forsaking what interest in her mail, she opened the letter all but immediately to absorb the contents in dedicated haste; no words of acknowledge nor a blink was given on her part as she creased the letter back into its sealed state.

Her parcels found a new home in an enchanted bag kept on her person save one letter.

**A/N: Ok, this one was an unusually tough bugger to write but here you go!**

**Yep, Rukia is in this one too. Couldn't really imagine Ichigo without her in some form or fashion.**

**Admittedly I was saving Ichigo for a later date but as you can see I did not follow through on that idea, of course I would also have to have a decent reason for him to in any way, shape, or form, to interact with Naruto... what better than a scary aunt? Too bad it was an imposter though... (Meh hehe...)**

**May you enjoy what hints and oddities I have left in this chapter!**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**


	12. Chapter 9

**This story is meant for entertainment purposes, I otherwise would not put a disclaimer here for Naruto and Warcraft... (Sniffs) I kind of wish I owned the latter though. For added protection, I also add Bleach though it is in terms of characters only, not universe. I own not those three.**

Path of a monk

Chapter 9: To tell of hopes and other things

The Legerdemain Lounge, Dalaran

All good things come to an end no matter the protest or cost. Life was evil like that.

Of course let it not be said that a good time was often followed by some kind of punishment as a direct result, or at least related to in some function, from one's own actions regardless of purpose and whatever may come bearing fruit afterwards.

She was evil like that when it came to his health.

He was also fairly certain that a certain Shado-Master somehow sensed he was up and about despite... certain recommendations. That or Retsu developed the same sort of awareness under her guidance...

"Forget it, Mushi is more evil than Mondays," Naruto groaned to no one but his own mind as he stared at the ceiling that was his rented room.

XVX

Meanwhile, Shado-Pan Monastery

A small, slightly evil chuckle escaped a pandaren monk, Mushi Shion, as she sat in the lotus position without opening her eyes. It was enough to disturb a pair of nearby aspirants doing nothing greater than relaxing in both body and soul.

XVX

The Legerdemain Lounge, Dalaran

The only thing Naruto was grateful for the fact that he wasn't strapped to the bed "under doctor's orders" this time as opposed to the last time he faced a dangerous opponent. However one thing remained a constant so far in this trend, minus the slight hiccup involving her nephew of course, and that was Retsu making sure her teacher was _well_ rested... to ensure this objective she had taken to blocking the only viable exit of the room by sitting directly in front of it. Needless to say she was _smiling_ the whole time.

"I just had to take on a student," the older monk mumbled to himself. A twitch presenting itself on his brow when he could swear he _felt_ Retsu's smile become more... puckish where a laugh could have taken place.

XVX

At the bar, a frustrated groan easily echoed throughout the unusually empty bar. Of course it was only ten past ten in the morning by the articulate hands of a wall mounted clock's count. A second one would've been heard if the mental realm was ever audible seconds before the hand inched to eleven past ten.

Neither occupant had much to do as far as the future was concerned, hence their leisurely time was spent in activities that were as important as their opinions deemed them so: Rangiku was sparingly sipping a glass of wine, while being carefully monitored by the barkeeper, during which Toshiro was boring holes into the side of her sullen and slightly buzzed skull that still suffered slightly at the hands of a hangover.

The previous day came and went with her in the company of Naruto with a haggard, slightly weary Jaina Proudmoore. It was spent swapping stories, shedding tears, stealing food from each other as well as any hapless customers that dared to drop their guard, and laughing... just laughing be it an event of the past or the fact the blond monk only managed to get two steps in a failed flight for freedom from his menacing student the second her shadow crept through the door. From there the time was spent reminiscing of what once had been.

Rangiku could almost smirk as a constant stray thought had struck her once more. It was a comparison of Naruto and herself in their similarities, namely of who they often keep in their company. Loyal to a fault and could easily get on their nerves without meaning to... or deliberately as some cases go to show; when the wellbeing of someone as close as family was deemed troubled in some manner, regardless of any at all conscious acknowledgement let alone any bullheaded behavior if acknowledged, then they take it upon themselves to in some way, shape, or form correct or assuage the problem with a mixture of never heeding the risks to themselves as well as accepting responsibility of the repercussions.

They were evil like that.

Bright blue glowing eyes were closed in quiet amusement, broken only with the unspoken demand made manifest with the pointed clearing of Toshiro's throat. "I still don't want to talk about it."

He persisted anyway.

Or rather tried to persist until a small multitude of figures suddenly strolled into the lounge with a curious mix between a heated brisk pace and a casual stroll when describing the group as a whole in regards movements; half of the group marched forward with feral snarled and smoldering glares aimed directly at each other during which the other two moved at their own casual pace, though the last pair seemed to differ in their form outside of appearance. They were death knights, every single one of them, who's vanguard claimed a table to continue their silent argument consisting of nasty sneers and fierce glowering while the ones left behind diverged in their owns paths.

The foremost one of the still standing portion of the group, even in her passing of the occupants haunting the bar, was a pale-skinned woman with olive green hair that went past her shoulders, with two exceoptionally long yet equal in length bangs brushing her shoulders in front as opposed to staying behind, and three dots of decreasing size in their descent beneath her right eye. Garbing her entire body from just under her neck was a black dress with white trimmings along her elongated sleeves, which went well past her hands and thus concealing them from view, and a straight line suggesting the prime opening of her otherwise concealing garments.

Her companions, at the table and still 'arguing,' consisted of another pair of women. The larger one had dusky skin and full length brown hair that bore some ferocity in being unkempt as well as wavy in appearance. Her own wardrobe was that of armor though it leaned on the skimpy side: a tube top that concealed her otherwise bare breasts, but made no effort to hint at a attempt of decency... much like Rangiku in her red swashbuckler shirt, and went down so far as to cover a fifth of her bare stomach. On both humors (upper arm) she worn an armband equipped with a dark blue gem encased in a band of white and on her forearms there was nothing more than simple vambraces. Circling her waist was an armored version of a thigh high skirt, the cloth was segmented and carefully laced with small plates of plate armor that only stood out for their dull reflection of the light like her other garments. The only thing left to note, aside from a plain circlet on her crown, were the unassuming boots that protected her feet.

She bore a striking resemblance to Rangiku in the mind of Toshiro.

The only other occupant, aside from the first woman now sitting at the table with a smile that called the strange imagining of a cat awaiting the divine opportunity to strike, bore the more natural scowl on her face that could have only came from years of practicing such a set emotion. She was almost like Ichigo Kurosaki in that regard. From the time she was standing it was easily deduced that she was the second shortest of the group with the olive haired woman being the shortest. Her hair was blue with a shine to it and her left eye bore a thick band of eye shadow that followed the natural curves of her face in a thick band that encircled the eye. She wore a vest with a short lived collar protecting her neck with no undershirt made obvious; a locket hung in plain view in the small V-shaped opening in the vest. Also on her arms stood a pair of vambraces yet accompanied by gloves unlike her comrade. Of the three she was the only one wearing pants that overlapped and hide whatever boot that guarded her feet.

The fourth woman of the group was wearing what looked to be modified Judgement armor where silver and a darkened crimson was dominant as opposed to gold and a normal crimson. She had stopped near the mouth of the lounge to observe her surroundings before turning to and ascending the stairs at a casual pace... of a war veteran.

Rangiku couldn't help but shudder slightly as dark thoughts crept into the confines of her mind.

XVX

Outside of battle, the concept of patience was torturous to Naruto. He would agree with its virtues... but he wasn't known by the world nor himself as one to wait without some kind of distraction. Retsu had already taken measures to ensure the one activity to do, outside of reading already read books that is, was to dance the familiar dance imposed on him since the earliest days of his training:

_Writing haikus_.

The blond could almost swear Yamamoto made him do it out of some bizarre and slightly twisted desire to see the once trainee somehow decapitate himself by yanking on his hair... a very real and sometimes funny occurrence that he had witnessed Forsaken apothecaries fall victim by complete accident when under infuriating stress. This method however only had a one if five chance of actually happening however between the dead flesh the hair was fastened too and the fact that hair generally never grows back, under normal circumstances, when removed from the living dead.

Of course he would always be reminded of the reasoning behind the aged master's... insistence of writing a haiku, or alternatively just writing.

"A calm mind, a soul at peace, and a focus attained."

With great reluctance on his part after sitting up, a ink brush made wet with its namesake and a piece of paper found themselves in his clutch.

_Difficult opponent_

_Unrelenting student_

_The prankster becomes pranked._

_Self pity,_

_Woe to me._

Naruto stared at the third line with some scrutiny before shrugging it off. "Eh, I written far worse." The sudden rasp of knocking on a doorway to politely announce the presence of a stranger. A stranger only made so from visual ignorance, quickly rectified ignorance.

"Hi Tia!" the blond monk cheerily greeted with a matching grin and wave from his bed. The casual flick of the eye allowed the death knight to witness the only other monk in the room, sitting on a rather large and plush pillow of elven craft, pleasantly smiling at her with closed eyes and a bow of the head in gentle acknowledgement. It was returned in kind before the death knight's gaze returned to the blond sporting a grin that could have threatened to split his head in two.

"So what is this venture you wished for me to hear?" she finally asked in a deep tone that was heard without difficulty. The brow of the raven haired monk lifted up and turned to the only other monk in the room whose grin has yet to fade. "Why don't you have a seat here," a heavy patting on the bed indicated his proposed seat, "I'll just find a new spot before we start-"

A quiet "ahem" held the same effect as a cannon's roar in the early morning. "Why don't you take my spot, Lady Harribel? I'll just step outside to get myself a chair," Retsu said politely with a gentle smile, which became slightly unnerving when turned to Naruto. "After all, it would be a tad rude to deny _everyone_ a chance to rest. _Especially_ if they partook in exceptionally exhausting activities, wouldn't you agree?"

She got up and left, politely passing Tier Harrribel, to collect a chair or an equal substitute of her now abandoned pillow of a seat. "Take your time, no rush!" Naruto called out.

"Stay in bed!" It was more of a statement than a shout, and even then it bore the resemblance of a command despite the gentle nature attached to it.

"Still as active as ever I see," the death knight commented as she took up the offered seat in a cross-legged fashion. Naruto grinned a sheepish grin. "Oh well I wouldn't call it active..."

"Hmm... Considering who you are I would guess that the task of bringing down a death knight of a greater caliber than a Scourgelord wouldn't qualify as an activity in the slightest."

"Heh... you heard about that did you?"

XVX

Meanwhile, Theramore

A worn smile find itself on the ruler of Theramore as she peered through the windows of her tower.

The ache was still there though, hidden and throbbing at her core. A dulled ache that grew ever faint as her body lax and her mind was sent to drift away from the painful memories hammered recently into her mind. A few drinks and the combined efforts of two blonds saw to that result, but the pain was still there... and she doubted it would ever be cast from her soul. That didn't mean she couldn't live on however.

If Naruto could do it, why not her? If someone can survive the death of a dream, of sweet ignorance that made them innocent, and move on then who was she to deny such a thing possible?

Of course that also brought up a slightly bitter inquiry left unanswered, only hinted by less than direct answers from the only known source who was painted by the shadows of his past.

_Shinobi_...

Necromancy was not the only magical art deemed forbidden by the likes of the Kirin Tor and the High Elves, there were numerous others listed in tomes and scrolls reserved for the more wise and mature practitioners of magic. Only a few were made knowledgeable to _all_ audiences, from peasant to lord even if not in possession of an ounce of a magical ability, by one of two facts: infamy and to ward off the more... daring of students or even the full fledged of magi before performing what would be considered an act considered the pinnacle of... _stupidity_ that guaranteed death to its participants in some horrible manner.

The High Elves, and even the Kirin Tor for a time, enacted their own version of sealing in the form of ancient inscription techniques and arcane rituals for the collective amount of centuries. All results ended horribly for the host in question no matter how successful the sealing had been performed.

The idea was rather simple and similar from what was learned from Naruto: take an entity, namely a elemental or at times a demon with the latter only successful in the society only held by demon hunters, and in essence implant the creature inside a mortal host to enhance their abilities. The results were most often synonymous to instant death or a few weeks worth of life where the imprisoned fought for their freedom from inside the organic prison, the latter often resulting in _severe_ fluctuation of their powers where it ranged from unable to use spell to putting a hole through a _castle_ _wall_ with a sneeze.

How demon hunters in general were successful where institutions have failed has yet to be revealed, and most likely never will be revealed if they have a say in the matter...

Brilliant blue orbs widened as a thought occurred to her.

Demon hunters in general were never trusted to a degree worse than the most despicable of warlocks that are still permitted to be within a cities' walls due to their dark connections with fel power. As a result, hunters of this kind were loners if not outright outcasts of their respective society. Could it be that the source of Naruto's former misery be the same concept of a demon hunter? If so, and if it was proven a fact that Naruto was forced to be a host on the day of his birth, than wouldn't that mean that not only did they have working versions of what magi from several societies once tried to obtain but it was often practiced as made evident with the seal's usage; nothing was made perfect from a single attempt, otherwise the world as she and thousands of others know it would be as it is today.

If this shinobi version of sealing of otherwise powerful beings into people where the latter was dominant as far as personality went at least, then what would be the reason for such hostility to a child?

Unless... these shinobi in general never made an effort to help others outside of their class understand what had been done and its implications. Which in itself begged another question, what kind of hearts did these shinobi possess to allow wanton cruelty where it could be prevented?

Regardless of the question of morality, if this held true for the total of nine people in terms of the obliviousness of others... then the pain of the heart compared to forced isolation by aggression and ignorance unimpeded held no real bite...

A solemn yet respectful smirk played itself on her dampened face made from disheartening thoughts. "I guess if Naruto can survive something like that and a little more, then why can't I?"

"Lady Proudmoore?" The woman, sobering her features to mask what pain or dour mood that was still left on her, turned to the gruff voice of a dwarf presenting her with a blue ribbon tied package. Slightly lethargic fingers, made so from recent thoughts, reached out in acceptance. Her eye noted one feature that forced her entire body to pale, her eye noticed a tag sticking out of the parcel. A signed tag.

This package was from Naruto, with love, from Dalaran... a city _full_ of mages and their wares; it was a prankster's paradise if they knew the right people.

From outside all activities stopped with the sudden crash of a loud, very distinctive _BOOM_ emanating from the mage tower that was home of the people's beloved ruler.

Its walls did not in any form dull her enraged shriek over the act that caused the explosion nor of its other victims.

"**_NARUTO UZUMAKI!_**"

"WHY AM I A TROGG?!"

"SOMEONE GET A MAGE! I BEEN CURSED INTO THE FORM OF A MURLOC!"

"WHERE ARE MY CLOTHES?!"

From the nearby barracks a small congregation of guards gathered around a chalk board as a tally mark had been added in the portion of the board dedicated to a box dubbed "The Prank War."

The names associated with it was only two in number. Naruto Uzumaki and Jaina Proudmoore. The guards have long since stopped counting after the monk's hundredth successful prank compared to their lady's seven.

"Well at least he regained some of her spirits if that shriek was an indication," one guard spoke up.

"Yep."

"I wonder what he did this time..."

"My ears are bleeding..."

Pranking, Naruto's favorite past time when the greatest danger consisted of catching the cold.

XVX

Legerdemain Lounge, Dalaran

"Master?" Naruto snapped out of his dazed state with an enlarged, mischievous grin. "Sorry, just had the sudden feeling that something good just happened."

Leaving Retsu behind in her confiscated chair, his sight met the cooled stare of Tier.

"You wish for me to head this guild you wish to create?" It was more of a statement rather than a question.

"Yes."

"You are aware of my history, correct?" A rhetorical question.

"Yep."

"Why?"

"Because you are the most capable out of everyone I know, and I'm willing to bet the same for those I have yet to meet."

Even behind the all consuming glow associated with a death knight, a flicker of a conserved emotion skimmed through her eyes before she stood and left the room. Her exit was only paused at the mouth of the doorway where she looked back at the 'bedridden' monk with schooled features. "I will not lead those who will not follow." She didn't wait for a reply.

"Are you sure about this?"

His gaze turned from the now missing death knight to a concerned Retsu. "I have some doubts, but I'd rather plant the seed to see if it grows into a tree or doesn't grow at all than claim to know otherwise."

A frown marred the face of the gentle monk even as she gently nodded.

"Now that's over with... I-got-to-deliver-a-letter, be-back-later!" The quick succession of words was the only indicator to Naruto's sudden leap from the bed and rushing out the door to the world of freedom! It was a short lived flight as the monk was overcame with a sudden stiffness of each joint locking up and incapable of movement under their own power.

"Gckkkk!"

It also seemed to have paralyzed his vocal cords to an extent if a garbled hiss was the most he could muster as an outrage to his sudden frozen predicament made only worse with a slender robed arm snaked its way around him, hoisted him up, and soon after near literally planted him back on the bed. "Gcck?"

"Master Shion said also agrees you need bed rest," Retsu gently said with a hint of mischievous whimsy as she patted his cheek, dug into his pocket to retrieve the envelope of his claimed intention, and left him.

Normally a paralysis style touch, even when augmented with the teachings of the deadly reach, had a more minute effect on master monks who have learned a trick or two along the way to help negate or lessen the inconvenience of being paralyzed. Unfortunately like fighting styles and teaching methods, there were other methods of paralysis brought on by contact, even if not directly applied, that have left even a master monk paralyzed. There was so far only one method that could be applied with the art of the deadly reach... developed by the Shado-Master Mushi Shion back in the days as a aspirant at the Peak of Serenity; this method was all too familiar for Naruto Uzumaki, the co-inventor of the technique... as the guinea pig to this technique.

If he could, Naruto would've screamed her name with a bloody vengeance promised woven into the shout. He unfortunately had to settle with his current method to vent. "GCKKKKKKK!"

XVX

Meanwhile, Shado-Pan Monastery

Mushi Shion, a normally stoic and quiet monk by everyone's reckoning, failed to hold back the raucous laughter that threatened to tear her entire body apart even when the pandaren woman was submissive to the sudden onrush of giddy joy... and she had a fairly good idea how it came to be. "That'll teach you to be more patient," she managed to wheeze in between fits of gut grabbing chortling.

Every initiate within earshot slowly and quietly back away from the apparent mad woman.

XVX

Royal Chamber, Undercity

"I'm sorry Captain Brogar, but the Dark Lady isn't in seeing _anyone_ today," a Royal Dreadguard offered in an attempt to placate the agitated dark green orc with white muttonchops for a beard.

"Like it or not I am not going to leave Lady Sylvannis-" he started until the combined attention of the two turned to the heavy rattling and creaking of a cart being pushed by a labored member of the Royal Apothecaries of Undercity. The closed door leading into the depths of the seat of power that was Sylvannis' throne was parted by another guard to permit the apothecary through much to the dissatisfaction of the captain of the Kor'Kron assigned to Sylvannis' side by the Warchief himself. "Those... _men_ of yours are not supposed to wander about without surveillance given what has happened at the Wrathgate!"

The convorsation was lost on the cart pushing apothecary as he hurried to the staircase where several jittery members of his society awaited his presence. Or rather the cart's payload as several took everything from the cart that wasn't nailed down to it and dismissed the cart pusher to retrieve more supplies as the item bearing members ascended the stairs in frantic haste.

"Run it by me again!" a apothecary demanded from another with a vicious guttural growl. "Any detail we've missed could be crucial!"

The accosted apothecary glanced over at a table seated at the center of the raised platform that made up Sylvannis' throne. The figure of a woman was on it, only hidden from view by a white sheet.

"We both know it all by now," he finally retorted. "The Dark Lady returned from her venture in Northrend and collapsed! The only _other_ detail worth noting was that her entire trip back to her throne she seemed to be _winded_ of all things. Since then, nothing has happened in the last two days since that accursed paling of her skin!"

"Milords!" Both snapped their heads to a shaken apothecary at the table holding a pale gloveless arm in his clutch. "What?! This better be good, _boy_!" the first demanded as she stormed to the table with his acquaintance but a step away. "T-the-there's-" the third stammered. "SPEAK UP!" the first roared.

"THERE'S A PULSE!" he screamed!

Vials, bottles, and even books came crashing down as several apothecaries twisted their heads to the table. The two apothecaries gaped at the third before slowly, hesitantly, turning to who lay beneath the sheet. A decayed hand warily reach out and daintily pinched the cloth to peel back for the gathering audience to see their leader, their matron, whose skinned changed from a light purple with a tinge of blue to a deathly white.

"Look!" one of the apothecaries hissed in stupefied awe with his hand pointing to her chest, which had been stripped of its armor to e replaced with a band of cloth for decency, with the interest of a student rather than a lecher. It wasn't without cause. It was rising and deflating at a steady pace that a watch could be set to.

The same decayed hand, acting on a hunch, pinch closed the maiden's nose with what respect that could be garnered in such as ask. Her mouth opened but a second later to inhale life giving air and spewing back _moist_ laden air in return... Soon the question on everyone's bewildered mind, overworked by the frenzy placed upon them in trying to find a cure for what ailed the Banshee Queen, came to be voiced.

"H-how can this be?"

**A/N: Sorry for the two day delay, I have no real reason for the delay.**

**And not much to say in terms of notes at the moment...**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**

**And now an extra between cannon and pointless prattling!**

Extra!: To tell of advice

"Tips to surviving monk training," by Naruto Uzumaki

To the aspiring monk, I leave you these tips as to manage and even some cases warn you of aspects to certain training methods that one or many teachers may employ for you or even help you handle life in the event your teacher has deemed it necessary to force you to interact with it in some manner... such as throwing you off a cliff.

Tips: Beware of birds, especially if you are sent to steal bird eggs. Do not believe in whatever stories you hear about them having bad memories and the like- they will remember your face till the day they die.

Steal food from a kitchen at your own risk, especially in the event that the kitchen staff or the owner of said kitchen has at one point in time received the same training as you are now receiving.

Always have an escape route in mind. Especially in the event when birds or irate kitchen staff are involved.

Never underestimate the power of focus when it comes to punching things.

Everything, outside of a kitchen, is negotiable.

Party till you drop... at your own risk.

Older generations are deceptively more powerful then they let on, even when you take away their canes.

Learn how to cook.

Always assume the cake is a lie or else become friends with the lavatory.

The failures of others are at times a stepping stone to your own schooling... not associated with the previous tip of course...

Pay little attention to the shiny object or likewise any object given motion if it's going to be caught by the same hand that tossed it.

Never get a grummle angry. Especially if said grummle is your guide.

(End of page one.)


	13. Chapter 10

**This story is meant for entertainment purposes, I otherwise would not put a disclaimer here for Naruto and Warcraft... (Sniffs) I kind of wish I owned the latter though. For added protection, I also add Bleach though it is in terms of characters only, not universe. I own not those three.**

Path of a monk

Chapter 10: To tell of Two Spirits

Coldback mountain range, Dragonblight, twelve days later

The call had been sent out and many had answered it, though the numbers were found wanting when compared to the Argent Tournament. Yet all things considered, the numbers were just right to the schemer behind this as they came to the mountain range between the forest of crystal trees and the wastes that was the grave dragons found some solace in.

The hall had been built, it was a structure of simple but sturdy construction capable of holding a small army... if they stood shoulder to shoulder then at least fourth of a regularly sized army could fit in it. The guards, courtesy of the Argent Crusade, have planned their patrols and stations to break up fights or worse defend the constructed building from attack. Chefs, as neutral as can be on such notice, manned their own posts and worked on dishes with ingredients provided by over eager hunters, namely from Nesingwary's expidition, for the undoubtedly hungry mouths that would've came or became so from the waiting.

The only thing was missing, other than a few names which have missed the appointed hour, was the monk behind it all...

They could wait a few more minutes, there was a certain politeness in giving others an ample chance to show up if they were coming to begin with. That, and people, in general, tend to be more pleasant with full stomachs as oppose to empty ones.

As for the monk himself, he sat on a boulder outside the building that also sat on a small outcropping of rock that jutted from the snow that all but consumed the mountain. He sighed as he lightly rubbed his arms, even with the sudden jerking to the side to avoid a blow from behind he kept at it.

"Got to try harder than that if you ever want to surprise me!" he lightly chided with a grin. A 'indignant' "humph!" from a feminine throat protruded into his ears followed shortly with a pair of elbows digging into his shoulders. "Never can sneak up on you can I?" Yoruichi sniffed in faux melancholy... an act she quickly dropped with the closing of her eyes, the swiping of a hand to roughly ruffle the monk's hair, and the just reward of a haughty smile upon finding purchase with the mild squawk of surprise elicited from the act.

"Lady Yoruichi!" the 'monk' squeaked, and the smile of the woman in question flew her eyes open and dropped the smile as she recognized a key detail in the high pitched and embarrassed cry. That wasn't Naruto's voice. Her gaze darted to find her subordinate trapped and slightly squirming underneath her now still hand, and the crisp slurping of a drink drawn her attention to her far left to find the un-victimized monk brandishing a cheeky smile as he sat on his knees with a ceramic green cup clutched in his hands.

"As I said, you got to try harder if you want to surprise me!" he said before taking a victory slurp of his beverage.

"Oh you're good..." The monk roared a mirthful laugh while the rogue let go of her underling, the raven haired Sui-Feng whom was dressed in the black leather attire of the SI:7 save for any at all head coverings. Almost immediately after he subsequent freedom, she taken to repairing the damage done to her otherwise short hair save for the twin braids of hair that bobbed behind her neck in their bandaged sheaths; her recovery was not without a heated glare sent to the monk behind her misfortune however.

"So this is your little gathering spot, eh?" Yoruichi mused aloud as he eyed the structure with a small worn smile.

A small smirk found its way on the monk after closing his eyes while tasting his drink once more. "The door's open for anyone with the spirit for it," he said. The soft crunching of snow, progressively growing fainter by the second, greeted his ears. "Would you mind telling Retsu I'll be a few minutes?" he called out.

He was given no answer, not that he needed one as he went on to finish in cup in silence.

Meanwhile the two rogues , upon entering the building to find a fairly rather narrow stretch, as far as the building as a whole was concerned, of a room seemingly devoted with the exact purpose of being a Argent Crusade checkpoint, were stripping of themselves their weaponry to be handed over to the equivalent of makeshift armories consisting of arms other passersby had apparently been coaxed into relieving their preferred means of fighting; both ends of the room were entirely devoted to their faction's side as far as the items were concerned, as a means to avoid confusion in all probability if the mounting hunch in the tanned rogue's mind was correct.

The second pair of doors, marking the true entrance of this building as it were, were pulled open for the two ladies. Apart from the horizontal corridor, it seemed the building itself was just one large room with the door bearing half littered with small but lengthy tables ordered into neat rows with six chairs, eight chairs at the most, per table. A raised stage with a podium sat some yards away from the furthermost set of tables, just short of touching the back wall; a gong sat along the stage along the back, to the podium's left side. To the left sat the workings of a makeshift kitchen with a dozen or more chefs hustling and bustling between preparing the food, cooking said food, laying dishes out on a island of a table to be ferried off by a volunteer from the Crusade, or even coming out to serve the finished dishes when worse came to worse; the kitchen staff were as mixed as the Argent Crusaders themselves.

The same could barely be said for the dining area itself. The Alliance were on one side, the Horde on the other; the only two discrepancies the typical attitude between and amongst the known forces as of late were that a small uneasy community of mages seemed to have gathered between the two camps, and the Horde seemed to be mainly composed of agents of the Forsaken. The golden eyes of the rogue narrowed.

The Forsaken had been more recluse than others since the backlash of the Wrathgate incident, thus as a whole the Forsaken haven't been seen en masse outside of their known territories including, but not limited to, their bases in the Howling Fjord. But it wasn't the only odd thing she had noticed with her analytical eye, even when she was on the move to the Alliance side to avoid suspicion she didn't miss a key detail from _both_ sides. In utter discretion, at least to the best of their ability in some circumstances, over half of their number peered over shoulder and past hot meals alike to briefly gaze at a faraway figure before returning to their attention back to their supposedly original interest in feigned concentration. Yet the majority of the Forsaken had not a monopoly in this act as orcs seemed to have long since caught on to it and joined in if they haven't done so already, and the blood elves have mimicked the others though in much smaller number then either side of their respective coalition.

While sitting down at the outskirts of the Alliance portion of the room, movement marked by caution drawn the rogue's attention to her left to find it wasn't the Horde who had taken an interest in whatever called for discreet glances. Amongst the gathered audience that made up the Alliance, even if representing them solely by race, only dwarves and humans have taken to similar tactics as their enemies.

The golden eyes of the rogue finally flicked over to the source of the confused stares, the curious glances, and in some cases the aggravated looks of haughty disappointment as some humans have shown. Sitting in a small space between the raised platform and the open space kitchen sat a death knight surrounded by three others of her kind. A quick glance to the sides only made it more curious for her, there were other death knights in their midst yet they haven't earned any form of recognition of this magnitude. With newfound professional intrigue, her sight became devoted to the details of the female tanned death knight with... blond hair...

The purple haired women's eyes widened in recognition and narrowed, but not with malice, suspicion, nor in damnation of any sort. "So that's your game," she whispered softly with a small chortle.

"My lady?" Sui-Feng questioned lowly to avoid drawing attention, even from their own side.

"Let me put it this way, we won't have to worry about Naruto trying to keep things secret here by any stretch of the imagination." The older rogue shook her head as she leaned back into her chair and laid a restless eye on the gathered crowd from the Alliance till it sequentially spotted a familiar orange head of hair situated between two raven haired women. Another chuckle escaped her as she reached into a pocket and retrieved a bright sky blue crystal necklace from its confines.

"Well, I'm going to let Retsu know Naruto will be in after a few minutes. Take care!" Sui-Feng whipped her head towards her superior only to find a black cat absconding from the chair and near immediately disappear from sight under the canopy of tables, chairs, and crossed legs. Her one response, honed after years of near identical stunts like this, was to mournfully groan and return to the task at hand as her gaze carefully shifted to the Horde, the mages that gathered in the middle... and a certain blond with disdain the second he entered the room.

During which, a growing sense of dread began to overtake Ichigo's senses. He began to peer in every direction to the best of his ability to not draw unwanted attention from _anyone_ regardless if he knew them or not. His gaze even went so far as to inspect the ceiling and under the table.

"What are you doing, Ichigo?" Rukia said in a near exasperated sigh. "Uh... Nothing," he countered in a mumble as he returned to his meal... to find the fish missing. His gaze darted to Rukia's plate to see if she stolen it as an act of retribution for the perceived annoyance garnered from his mounting paranoia. She didn't have it. His sight turned to other nearby plates for the possible theft; he was light-sworn sure that even _thinking_ that his aunt stole a part of his food wasn't going to end well. No dice.

Then he heard it... the purring... the light-damned purring of the only creature that made worgen look cute when said creature was in a mood... any mood for that matter.

"Would you please stop tormenting my nephew, Lady Yoruichi?" The paladin snapped his head towards his aunt and followed her gaze to a spot that was but a foot from the chairs sat the only being that could make his life hell in an instant if she so desired... on a second thought, she could only make hell look like a paradise if angered after considering that her past time itself was to make his life hell to alleviate her boredom. It was none other than Yoruichi Shihion! In her cat form! With the remains of his fish in her maw!

The cat deftly turned her head to the monk and tilted it in confusion. "I wouldn't know _what_ you mean by that accusation, Miss Unohana." Both heads, joined by the third party that was Rukia Kuchiki and everyone else with a curious ear at their table, whipped to the source of the voice to find the rogue herself sitting in the chair opposite to the paladin with its former occupant, and the plate that belong to said occupant, nowhere to be seen.

"GAH!" Many of the table's occupants got a cheery rise from the paladin tumbling backwards in surprise, their chorus of laughs only amplified with the resounding crash only made worse with the clattering of plate armor that he wore. The monk could only close her eyes, calmly sigh, and shake her head in derision as her ever present smile dropped into nonexistence. As for Rukia, she could only stare at the woman with a mischievous cat-like grin plastered on her face.

XVX

Three minutes later

The crisp rapping of wood tapping wood pervaded the air and effectively silence what chatter arose from the conglomerate of adventurers and guardsmen alike in a slow turnabout till the only noise, outside of the now distracted kitchen staff and their duties, was what the blond made with his staff to draw their attention to not only the blond monk but a Crusader manning a mallet within striking distance of the gong. "Hello everyone, and thank you for taking the time in coming here!" he near bellowed upon resting his staff against the podium.

"Now I am sure that many of you here are wondering as to why your enemies," even he could see a good number on both sides giving each other the evil eye, "but I will not get to that just yet." All attention went back to him, especially when he slowly raised a hand to point at the door. "What I would like you all to know is that you are free to go at your own will, and the only one stopping you from leaving is nothing but yourselves." Murmurs arose from all corners of the room save for the kitchen, which was most likely blocked out with its attendants' dutiful tasks of food in a more constant need of care, with some murmurings louder than others noting him or the situation at hand curious or worse yet moronic as far as facts were concerned.

"Now," the monk's hands came to rest atop the podium with fingers curling around the edges for support as he himself leaned over it by a fraction, "as I said, you may be wondering as to why those you consider your factional enemies are here today in the same room. I will tell you why, and I will tell you the reasoning as to why. I have called each and every one of you, save for those who came at their own volition upon learning of this meet though I extend the same courtesy of what I believe, because I have faith and a belief that each one of you can rise the walls that have been erected saying what can be and what can't be done. I believe that when it is said and done, both sides can overcome challenges set against them be it a tyrant or even the lord of death himself who's citadel is now under siege."

"What I have summoned you all here for is to accomplish something that is by no means easy as both the Kirin Tor and the Argent Crusade have learned firsthand in their own experiences considering those who lead others, their attitudes, and those who have adopted the ideology and attitudes of the ones they claim or wish to serve with unquestioning loyalty. What I propose is admittedly a dream I wish to be reality if you will hear me out: I wish to create a guild."

All was silent throughout the room, not even bubbling pots were powerful enough to break the spell that was cast. Slowly, ever so slowly, confused mutters gently arose at first. No one understood what he had asked outside of the face value of it. Guilds were not uncommon, in fact a large portion of any faction was compromised of Guilds; it was simply a matter of registering with an office dedicated to validating these organizations after finding a small number willing to band together under a banner that was not necessarily belonging to the Alliance nor the Horde. Naruto, in their view, ultimately didn't have to go the lengths that he did to accomplish this...

The more discerning of the audience however soon caught on to the true intention of the stated desire.

"Are you _MAD_?!" a protestor, a human with the appearance of mage that had reaped the benefits of Northrend's bounty, demanded as he shot up from his chair. "Do you _honestly_ think we would work with... _them_ to achieve this twisted dream of yours?!"

Any rage, pain, or likewise emotion that the man had hope to derive from the monk were never revealed if they existed at all, of course no eye outside the more diligent kind were able to discern it as an associate of the Horde rose up to argue with the original protestor. Then rose a contender from the Alliance, and in retribution a Horde came to blows with verbal jabs. The whole room quickly descended into chaos as swarms of bodies drowned out those who shouted for order and blocked the view of those who didn't participate. The community sitting between the camps grew ever more uneasy and tried to shrink from view despite their lack of attention from both sides.

All the raised voices ceased to ring as a more powerful force enveloped not only the cries, but seemingly the bodies of those who stood as an unseen force knocked them onto their backs with the notice exception of the Argent guards and the cooks when the heavy tone of a gong being rung overtook the room. The latter, the cooks, however gave voice to their sudden ire upon being startled and forced to correct what they could when certain spices and ingredients were added in inappropriate measures to both dishes needing them and otherwise alike.

A smug grin threaten to break itself upon a certain monk, whose face was saved only with the answering of what may have been a rhetorical question. "I am as serious as can be about this."

Many of the arguers have returned to their seats, yet one rose up again in a more calm manner with the heraldry of the Horde: a blood elf, though where or not he was one of the protesters remained to be learned.

"While I do not necessarily agree with our... company as it were, I do believe we need a better understanding of what it is that you hope to accomplish here with your hopes to creating a guild composing of... _both_ sides."

With a hefty nod, the monk gave his answer, "Ultimately peace."

"The Kirin Tor, and by proxy Dalaran in general, would prefer themselves neutral in any fight between the Horde and the Alliance if it can help it, and at best can act as something akin to a mediator between the two sides without violating their own stance between the two. They intend to live a life that I loosely lived sometime since I started to travel. As for the Argent Crusade, as noble as their intentions are, I fear that their goals would not be reached through the path of the Light and virtues alone."

A sheepish grin soon grew upon his face as he rubbed the back of his neck. "No offense guys." His apology was met with some grumbling but nothing else.

Without a clue as to why, his hand lowered back to the podium yet it was the changing of his smile to one of reminiscence that drew curiosity. "Allow me to tell you an anecdote as to why I think that: Years ago, when I was training to be what I am today, I had what you could say ... a rival back then. I do not really remember as to what exactly caused this, but we hated each other right off the bat once we had a name to put on other." He smirked and shook his head in amused derision. "We did all sorts of downright stupid things to outdo the other: When balancing anything between a book to a small barrel on our heads, we upped the ante with flaming braziers while walking on tight ropes while glaring at each other amongst _other things_."

His smirk turned to a grin as he struggled to keep himself from chuckling. "We ran a foot race to the bottom of a mountain once: She was so busy scolding me as to how to act '_proper_,'" he brought up both hands to emphasize the word, "that she ended up tripping over a rock and rolling down the rest of the way as a giant snowball. As for me, I was too busy laughing my head off about it that I ran straight into the back of a yeti." He shook his head, his grin refusing to fade.

"Another example of our combined stupidity was the time we ended up destroying a month's supply of food in an effort to 'defeat' each other as it were when we were stuck with kitchen duties." Whether or not he knew of it, the chefs ever so slowly and discreetly scooted their ingredients and dishes farther away from the blond while eying him cautiously with a chef's grade of an evil eye.

He shook his head slowly with glazed eyes, his grin in no way tarnished. "As you all can imagine, our teachers got so sick of our quarreling that we were sent to the nearby temple to have our... passions tempered if not completely dealt with. And that's where something strange happened: Instead of a history lesson with an act of heroism to personify this, in place of a harsh tongue to lash us about our ways, in lieu of a well told story to encourage friendship, we were told to fight each other. And fight we bloody did."

"At first nothing happened between the two of us other than an undeniable will to beat the other into a pulp and end our rivalry once and for all. Flesh hammered flesh in either successful blows or blocks. Chi empowered attacks met chi empowered defenses. It was, for lack of a better word, a stalemate between two ox-headed monks who wouldn't give an inch of ground to each other. Then something happened, a revelation occurred between the two of us without a word traded: we didn't truly hate each other as we thought."

"All the things we had done that we despised of one another, our values, manners, and methods wrought by training with our own personal flairs were done so to receive respect and recognition of our peers, teachers, and strangers alike..." He chuckled slightly. "In our own way, we were siblings fighting over the same toys." With the coating of his eyes disappearing, his gaze turned to take in the whole audience. "We formed a bond that day that had yet to break no matter what fights that occurred since then... as well as certain attempts to _destroy_ each other now and then..." he added with an incredulous, squinty eyed scowl aimed at his raven haired cohort who only gave him an 'innocent' closed mouth grin in return.

Shaking his head and ridding himself of his mood, he continued. "This bond is the same one I had seen between metalworkers as they forged weapons, armor, and other craft with fine precision when they get together to teach or work alongside each other whereas they were nothing but complete strangers at first. This is the same bond that those who return from battle alive share a drink with, or even share a brew with a complete stranger just because it was good. Bonds like these can be forged with the simple act of reaching out a hand to someone in need of it simply because it is _right_. It can even be forged when others are forced to endure hardships that others only dream about. Given my own experience, I know that bonds of camaraderie can be forged from the most unlikely of situations and I wish to utilize that in this endeavor."

"Now, if you are willing to take this chance, I would like to help form such bonds between you all in hopes that the world as we know it had a chance of improving upon itself with an example this guild could make." The elf had long since sat down, though it was not a matter the silent hall.

"Oi!" a dwarf called out. "Who's goin' to lead this guild of yers, provided that any of us joins of course!"

If possible, the grin on the monk's face, slightly tired from his speech, grew bolder. "She is someone whom has proven herself more than capable of leading when called upon, and standing on her own will and acting on her own decisions regardless of what opinions that would arise from her actions even if it comes at personal cost to herself." From the side, the mocha skinned death knight arose from her seating and padded onto the stage to Naruto's side with the cool measurement and tone given by confidence and utter surety. "My faith is placed upon Tier Harribel, and _no_ amount of opposition will provoke me into thinking otherwise."

Roars erupted from a small group of humans to shout down such a "disastrous mistake" in judgment on Naruto's part while what amounted to half of the Horde population only gawked at her. During which, a certain mallet rose in the hands of a crusader.

"I thought as much," Yoruichi purred from her spot on Retsu's lap, having taken the form of a cat once more much to Ichigo's irritation. It didn't however stop him from voicing a question.

"What has gotten everyone so worked up?" he curiously asked... while occasionally glancing at the faux feline to make sure she didn't sneak up o him again.

Rukia, after grimacing as a repeat of recent history happened, frown as she considered her answer. "The most I can say with utter surety is that Lady Harribel is not a woman of high regard as far as Alliance military personal went."

Ichigo whipped his head towards his fellow paladin till a chuckle arose from his catty menace, paying no heed as the same group from before gave voice to a new set of protests reminiscent to the ones before the second ringing of the gong, added with slander thrown against the concept of a cross faction guild. "Quite true, and I imagine those men are from Lordaeron as well," Yoruichi purred, even more so when Retsu indulging her much like one would indulge a cat. A stern, curious eye turned towards her with the unspoken request to go on. It faltered only with a third sounding of the gong and once again effectively quitted the enraged outbursts of the detractors.

"Tier Harribel, one of the few women in Lordaeron's history to have ever climbed the ranks of the military ladder to the esteemed rank of general for acts of valor, shrewd tactics, and overall respect of many who have been placed under her command. Yet she wasn't without some faults as others perceived them."

"Given her rank, and more recent raids on the internment camps for orc prisoners of the Second War, she and her unit had been mobilized to defend one of the camps in hopes of deterring the next raid through martial prowess and entrenchment. She ever had a good month to prepare for every contingent before her camp was even threatened." The false cat suddenly stopped in favor of sudden... odd, broken purring. Perhaps the cat equivalent to a throaty laugh if Ichigo dared to guess. "Imagine everyone's surprise when Thrall's forces came and went without a single member lost to their war party."

"Huh?!"

The odd chuckling continued. "Harribel had ordered those under her command, and even the original guards of the internment camp, to stand down and release the prisoners. I can only imagine what the Warcheif's face might have looked like on that particular day when he met no opposition and the door was left wide open."

The paladin, joined by his female counterpart, sputtered heatedly as they tried to find the right words against such... _treason_ as to not even put up the most miniscule of fights. "But why?!"

The 'cat' tilted her head in thought before switching over to the unfazed pair on the stage listening to the now worn beat that was the opposition. "I do not personally know her, but that doesn't mean I can't guess her thoughts from reviewing her records for a modus operandi (way of doing something). Given the success the newly revived Horde at the time had, she most likely thought it was a unnecessary waste of soldiers, supplies, what would be a invaluable position as far as outposts like those camps were concerned; people, even the military sort, do tend to avoid setting camp at sites of bloodshed if they can unless there is a lack of choice if you think about it between the damaged buildings and whatever morbidity arises from such a place."

Closing her eyes, she rested her feline head on the lap of the monk and gave nothing more than a small sigh. "Ultimately she was demoted to the rank of Major after that and that was only because of the obstinate refusal of her forces to work with others, save for a few diehards of course. No one heard much of her after that, yet that was to be expected when the Scourge suddenly enveloped Lordaeron in its war march to shatter the Alliance." A golden eye cracked open ad drifted to the scant images of the horde through the thicket of legs and bodies and a sly smirk slide across her furred features.

Meanwhile, the paladin turned an uneasy scowl towards the duo on the stage. "Is that such a smart move?" he asked disbelievingly. "Using someone who's..." He pursed his lips to find the right word to describe the death knight at the blond monk's side.

"Controversial," Rukia offered with her own creased frown.

"Controversial," Ichigo finished with a slight cough and a softly muttered thanks to his companion. Giving mind to the protestors as they become progressively winded from their... disagreements. "He certainly seems to have lost any support from the Alliance by nominating her. I mean if she's not willing to fight-"

Yoruichi's strange chuckle emanated once more before her reply. "It is a little shaky," she admitted. "But do not write off Naruto's venture so lightly. History and that all that it entails is on his side after all."

The paladin's eye turned skeptical as he watched on, idly noting at the edge of his peripheral vision sat a pointed frown from his aunt aimed directly at him.

"Like I have said, I will not be dissuaded from either. If any of you are willing to join, be it to actually improve relations as they stand now or even to see if it is possible, then please stay. Stand even if you would be so bold. If not then as I have said before, the only ones who deny you the ability to leave is your own selves." Near immediately the room was engulfed in hushed chatter in pockets, leaving only the more silent and individualistic to mull over the potential that could be born from such, the consequences that could be reaped from either joining or avoiding such a guild, and what the underlying goals the monk may have in store. The only others who were silent in the discussions, unless provoked into answering a question, were those who made use of the only entrance of the room that became divided by a wall of Argent guards.

The only solace Naruto found in their departure was that only a minute number of them were amongst those he personally called upon, and even then they left only after some debate in the matter.

However, before a new crop of adventurers thought of leaving, what he had hoped to occur manifested itself with the prominent rising from the tables and the halting march towards the stage from both sides; dwarves, a small measure of humans, blood elves, and the Forsaken marched with careful glances aimed at one another.

Even from the stoic posture of Harribel's caliber, a smile arose when salutes were given and old companies were remembered even if done so in reluctance by more recent years.

From afar, Yoruichi only purred. "Its little heartwarming to find such loyalty still exists despite the years and the changes that come with it, isn't it" she loudly mused from her spot. She purred more heartily with the vigorous but gentle rubbing of Retsu's fingers through Yoruichi's coat.

"It is," Retsu agreed with a soft smile.

"Now I understand," Rukia quietly murmured. It was still loud enough to draw her counterparts attention and his quizzical stare.

"Get what?"

Blowing an exasperated breath, she turned a pointed, deadpanned stare that bore into Ichigo's own stare. "History is on his side" as Lady Yoruichi had said."

"Just call me Yoruichi," the 'cat' added as she eavesdropped on with a catty grin.

"Yeah...?" the other paladin replied after a small pause.

"You don't get it do you?"

The silence that ensued between them was all she needed for an answer to which she heavily sighed with a inward grumble about the one she deemed a moron.

"Lady Harribel obviously commands the respect and loyalty of those people over there," she said while pointing at them with her right hand for discretion. "If you have picked up a book you would also know that the Forsaken are by rights what remains of the nation of Lordaeron. The blood elves too were once a part of the Alliance till Lord Marshal Garithos had decreed them traitors for receiving outside help in maintaining their standing orders. The dwarves too are members of the Alliance and have been for since the Second War. Do you see where I am going with this?"

"... No."

The twitch of the eye was Ichigo's only warning to being on the receiving end of a armored fist to his skull.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!" he outright screamed in pain while clutching his wounded head.

"THAT'S FOR BEING AN IDIOT!" she screamed back as she clenched her fist in aggravation.

A decisive, ominous clearing of the throat from a ever smiling woman forced the two to become amiable in a matter of seconds, though resentment was by no means cooled as quickly as their tempers.

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" she all but growled as she locked him in her still annoyed sights.

"Wouldn't hurt if you got straight to the point now and then," he countered with a near grumble with his own narrowed gaze.

Again Rukia's hand came up to point at the collaboration standing in front of the stage. "Those men up there were once Lady Harribel's unit."

"You could've said that," he hissed.

A disgruntled sigh left the paladin as she turned towards the other side of the room to witness orcs get up... and march towards the once soldiers of a deceased nation. "And all it entails," she murmured.

"Huh?"

"You are so dense, you know that right?"

Before the paladin could say anything in his defense, Yoruichi added in her two scents. "I have to agree, but that's a part of what makes him so lovable. Wouldn't you agree, Retsu?"

An small feminine chuckle arose from the monk. "Well it is cute in its own way," she agreed. Chuckles arose from both women with the slamming of the paladin's head against the table and the irritated groan that came from it.

Shaking her head, Rukia answered... the question. "With Lady Harribel's refusal to fight the Horde and even let them reclaim their number from her camp with no opposition, she in all likelihood gained a more favorable opinion amongst the orcs as a whole and perhaps a measure of the respect from those she was suppose to keep from being free. With that said, combined with whatever friendships that exist stemming from the now reunited soldiers of Lady Harribel, there is a significantly high chance that orcs would join Naruto's coalition provided that Tier Harribel is under command of the guild, or at least in a position significant enough to be considered the leader of it." With a flick of the eye, she amended her thoughts accordingly. "Of course it will not necessarily only be orcs that would join."

Tauren and trolls in small increments dared to join up with the growing collection of adventurers, their numbers growing significantly larger when the community of mages finally joined it.

"Nor does it means that the Horde are solely affected by these factors." Dreanei, gnomes, and even night elves soon joined in the foray at their own reserved pace.

And from their spot, a smile was evident on a certain blonds' face.

XVX

Royal Chamber, Undercity

There was but one chamber hidden within the throne room of the Banshee Queen. Its purpose was but a joke at the time of its construction yet purpose was given to it in more recent times before the Horde's campaign in Northrend. It was an actual bedchamber compromised solely of stone, and its intended occupant only made use of it to avoid unwanted audiences or at worse spend time with only herself. Its contents were sparse in number, but easily reminiscent to the purpose of rest for royalty and others of high esteem.

Sitting but less than an inch from the back wall was a grand sized bed, more than capable of comfortably containing four or at best six occupants at a given time, with a canopy and a dark veiled curtain with silk even nobles could only _dream_ of obtaining. Its covers and the pillows that adorned the bed consisted of a royal dark crimson that in the darkness could be mistaken was the color of a moonless night.

Posted at both sides of the bed stood a bed stand made of darkened oak, most likely lacquered with intense care as to not to clash with its much larger companion. A candle holder capable of, and in fact doing so at the very moment, of holding aloft three lit candles sat on both stands.

Against the wall, to any interloper's left, sat bookcases no greater than the height of the room but small enough to perfectly fit four cases standing side by side from wall to wall. Only the bottom shelves were found wanting of books to fill them.

To an interloper's right upon entering the chamber, two wardrobes bearing the same color as the stands could be found. Until but a few days ago, they were left void of everything but a spare set of clothes belonging to the ruler of the underground city.

Lady Sylvanas Windrunner now resided in this secret chamber, created as nothing but a joke to amuse herself and those who shared her condition given their kind's almost nonexistent need for rest. Now the joke was lost on her as she sat upright, but still under the protection of her bed's covers, with a mirror in her clutches.

Her skin had underwent the drastic change from blue with a tinge of purple, an obvious testament to her undead state at the time, to alabaster white. Her hair, whitened upon her death, now bore a more silvery sheen in what light that danced off it. But the most... alarming, perhaps? She knew not, but it certainly didn't compare to waking up with the needs of a living body once more after 'living' so long as a corpse. Her most drastic change, even more so than the color of her skin, was that her eyes no longer held the baleful red that consumed every aspect of her eyes.

The whites of her eyes had returned along with the iris for each eye, and so too returned the pupils. Yet they were changed. They no longer held the cerulean blue of her life before the Scourge came, nor were they the angry crimson of her forced existence as a underling of the wretched Scourge and later the ruler of those who regained their free will from the army of monstrosities. They, if anything, merged to a color of amethyst but a shade darker.

Yet even after taking it all in. After waking up and cataloguing the changes her body underwent, she knew not how to feel.

There were the instinctual emotions, yes, such as fear. Fear wrought from the radical and impossible change from death to life. Fear from the unknown such as if she was reborn as an elf or as something else entirely. Fear that her powers earned and learned from her 'life' as the Banshee Queen were now diminished or worse yet gone altogether. And fear from being cast out from her rule by the populace who she no longer held a semblance of kin to.

To date, there was no evidence to the latter much to her relief.

Yet there was other emotions she could note. Rage brought on by fear as the situation made little sense to her and the scholars that feverishly worked to understand how she came to be as she is now. Joy from being able to actually live again, to feel emotion with no prompting whatsoever from memories blackened with rage or actual tragedy, or other situations, forcing its way to her undivided attention. Giddiness from the feeling of skin, and by proxy nerves, feeling the world around her once again without needing to remind herself what anything felt like.

And hope...

If she could change, if she can be... _reborn_, than chances are that-

She violently shook her head. It was too early to make such assumptions just yet. For all she and her apothecaries knew this was either a freak accident that they could only _hope_ to replicate or a temporary state of being altogether...

Her breath hitched...

What if it was true that her state was temporary? Would she be dead after so many days passed? If she suddenly died again, would she come back from whatever void that was awaiting her?

Her teeth clenched as she laid the mirror down lest it caused her more grief by chance. Her own will forced her fears down with an iron fisted rule. She did not become a recognized leader of the Horde by being so weak hearted!

From the only wooden portal into her chambers came a gentle rapping followed by a dulled but audible hoarse rasping. "My lady, we have assembled the retrieval team as you requested. They await only your order."

"Go. Make haste lest we lose what secrecy we have," she ordered from her bed.

He released a pent up uneasy sigh before she took a deep breath to keep herself from acting out on any sole emotion. That was never her before and after he death. Nor will it ever be so long as she had control of her faculties and nothing of importance was on the line if she had a say in the matter.

She was Sylvanas Windrunner, Ranger General of Silvermoon, formerly, and Banshee Queen of the Forsaken, however debatable it was at this point, and she will have answers.

Now she only had to await for the ones that held responsibility over the act of her conversation, even if they were not aware of it.

She would smirk if she allowed herself as the irony hit her. She made considerable effort to make it a point not to meet that golden haired monk, and now it was she who sent out for his company.

She only went so far as to scoff before picking up the mirror once more...

**A/N: Two days late, I apologize and hope you enjoyed!**

**Admittedly this chapter was supposed to be longer with other character's conversations and opinions but I thought that would only detract from the chapter at hand: I'll be spreading it out as extras if that isn't too much of an inconvenience to you all (could also devout an entire page to this goal and be done with it...).**

**Here's also something for you guys to gnaw on with your own imaginations: I also intended to include Yugito Nii in this chapter too. Unfortunately I felt that her appearance serve no real purpose (she was to appear in the scene where Yoruichi 'attacked' Naruto from behind) and had no reason to be in Northrend to begin with in my view.**

**Until next time then...**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**


	14. Chapter 11, Reactions

**This story is meant for entertainment purposes, I otherwise would not put a disclaimer here for Naruto and Warcraft... (Sniffs) I kind of wish I owned the latter though. For added protection, I also add Bleach though it is in terms of characters only, not universe. I own not those three.**

Path of a monk

Chapter 11: To tell of reactions, part 1

Personal chambers, Violet Citadel, Dalaran, six days after the announcement

Two Spirits.

News traveled of this cross faction guild spread alarmingly faster than any news of that suggested the world was doomed, and they weren't even trying to make themselves known. At least they weren't trying to make themselves known through the normal channels of guild recruitment. Then again it gave credence that Naruto was at times smarter than he looks and acted at times. But was he prepared for the consequences? Maybe. Time will tell.

Already the world was ablaze with talks of this radical guild and its controversial leader appointed by the monk himself. King Varian of Stormwind was rumored to not be taking the news well; it was doubtless that one or two Horde spies would try to infiltrate this guild to access the potential goldmine that would be information concerning the other side brought on by whatever acts that earned the guild favor or when a newer member joins, yet on that same coin the Alliance could do the exact same thing. However there was more troubling mutterings as of late regarding the blond monk... but that was for another time to deal with if any.

Thrall and a good number of his people of Durotar seemed to be in favor of the underlying concept the monk was trying to make a reality. However there were detractors... and whispers of a new Warchief were growing ever stronger, though it was not as worrying as hushed rumors that the current Warchief was troubled by something...

King Magni and Ironforge was neutral with some skepticism, but presented no ill will to speak of. If anything they were more intrigued with finding the actual meaning to this guild's name considering spirits could mean either people... or drinks. There may even be a small contingent of dwarvern adventurers on the march right now to join their ranks to learn firsthand if steadily growing rumors of this guild sporting barrels upon barrels of drinks of the alcoholic nature were true or not.

Cairne Bloodhoof, High chieftain of Thunder Bluff and his ilk held much the same attitude as the dwarves yet their own possible droves were more of curiosity than the possible promise of drinks to greet them.

High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque and his gnomes were probably the least motivated to join out of their constant desire to reclaim their lost home of Gnomeregan, yet undoubtedly a few would join out of the ever present gnomish curiosity that was known to exist in even the most obsessed gnome to ever be born on Azeroth. It is probably the most enduring and the most annoying thing to ever come across in a gnome.

The Trolls and their leader Vol'jin however may be just as reserved with their own interest in reclaiming their lost homes, and it remained to be seen if the rumors involving Vol'jin's alleged suspicions towards the monk would be detrimental in nature or not.

The Night Elves however seemed reluctant, and no one outside of the close-knit circles of Darnassus, including their own adventurous kind, was sure why. Whatever the problem is, it involved the Cenarion Circle and more pressing of all its current leader, Fandral Staghelm, for better or worse.

The Night Elves reclusive nature as of late was also shared by their distant cousins the Blood Elves, though their reasoning was more well known. In short, the choosing of former general Tier Harribel as the guild's leader, a known ally that their kind in older days supported, was essentially the only reason they will risk a gamble of possible betrayal while once known members of the Alliance were testing the waters; it was doubtful even Naruto could get them to even consider the idea of a cross faction guild with his charms and hard work alone.

Then there was the draenei and their Prophet Velen. Open minded if not supportive as a whole; there were still scars that ran deep for the draenei as a people.

Last were the Forsaken... no one could say for sure. The city itself was under lockdown to prevent something getting out, and those who were permitted to come and go leave were not talking... and the only one that was talking, one Captain Brogar of the Korkron, had no idea what was going on. However that didn't stop former soldiers of Lordaeron from marching to reunite with former and current allies.

Now the only ones left to make a move, if any, were the neutral factions such as the Argent Crusade and the Kirin Tor; organizations such as the Ebon Blade were as interested in this endeavor as they were interested in becoming farmers once the Lich King was... gone to say the least. There were talks giving rumor to emissaries from the Crusade joining the Two Spirits as mediators for the undoubtedly volatile sides in the guild for a time, but nothing was concrete till the Lord of Death became his namesake.

So that left the Kirin Tor and its own stance on the daring concept that many speculated failure on, a concept that Rhonin and the Council of Six had been debating on for some time now during and after meeting hours.

"Send an ambassador!"

"Let us see how far they go before we consider supporting them if ever."

"Ignore him! He's a child who doesn't know better!"

Needless to say no side was interested in losing ground. And those were only the off duty thoughts of those who attended the clandestine meetings. The meetings were much, much worse to the point where repeatedly bludgeoning his head with his own staff was an often entertained thought for the current leader of the Kirin Tor... and an self punishing action which he hadn't perform since the days where the fireball spell was the most complicated spell in the mage's arsenal. It took weeks for him to master its use and when he did master it... he certainly had fun using it.

Those pigeons never stood a chance.

An uncharacteristically evil chuckle escape the archmage that ever so slowly rose to a downright cackle.

Never again had a pigeon dared to paint him with its disturbingly white goop that was their excrement! Pigeons, despite their limited intelligence, fled at the very mentioning of his name! For he was Rhonin! Slayer of Pigeons! The Ferocious Fiend to Feathers! The King of the Smoking Avian Hill! Bane of-

_WHAP!_

"OW!" Both hands gingerly caressed the lump that threatened to bless him with a second head while teary eyes turned to his attacker...

His wife of several years, Vereesa Windrunner, Ranger General of the Silver Convenant, stood behind him armed with a book and an annoyed silent glare while a little blue bundle squirmed in the motherly crook of her arm. "You're scaring the baby," she tersely admonished before she departed into the depths of the citadel. With a defeated sigh he took a step to give mild chase to the retreating figure of his wife and the latest addition to their family. While passing a window he came to a sudden stop when his eye caught sight of a familiar feathered figure.

_A pigeon_.

Beady eyes locked onto _beadier_ eyes. The standoff lasted a second at best before the aerial rat took off like a demon was after it.

"Still got it," Rhonin smugly remarked as he resumed the 'chase.' From a distance, his wife rolled her eyes and gave her pace greater priority than before. "Of all the things to hate in the world, it had to be pigeons," she mutely groaned.

She could only pray her sons weren't even half as... eccentric as her husband.

XVX

Runeweaver Square

"Huh... I wonder what spooked the birds..." Naurto idly commented before taking another bite out a slice of apple pie. Up above, hundreds of pigeons were fleeing from the city... and there wasn't any indicator of an attack to help explain their flight.

"I wouldn't know," Retsu replied with a small frown with a steaming cup of tea in her hands.

The entirety of the city had taken notice of the avian retreat and only stared at it for a few moments till they returned to the tasks at hand which consisted of, but not limited to forging enchanted garments from thread or metal, bartering with travelers, arguing which portion of the Arathi Basin to conquer first and defend later, and spying on a pair of monks while considering the best approach to a delicate situation.

XVX

Granite Springs, Grizzly Hills

The once famous band of mercenaries that once sought what plunders there was to be had in Zul'Aman had long since left the springs to find greener pastures when their current means of bread and butter became scarcer in the Northrend campaign. It didn't take long for someone to make use of those grounds once more. Where tents once stood, buildings much like longhouses arose with a more paced hand than its predecessor by the courtesy of a certain monk.

However one building stood out in its relatively small size and in its even flimsier nature. Its purpose was temporary, a fact everyone seemed to take notice off, and stood only because its current occupant desired it so till she found no use for it any longer. It was one of Tier Harribel's colder aspects that few didn't acknowledge: Where a sword she fought with for years shatters, she would take up another from her fallen enemies or allies if the case was so. If an ally would fall, she wouldn't take notice any further than one less body to count in the frontline or the back before ordering an appropriate response to shore up the sudden breach. Where others feared to tread on ground either holy or cursed, she would march when such heed was a greater hindrance than benefit to the grand scheme of things.

She was never accused of being a sympathetic woman throughout her existence. Yet no one who served her faithfully or knew her personally called her callous either.

She did not demand bloodied retribution for opinionated slights made against her nor of those who would speak ill of those she was ever fond of though her ire did grow on such an account. She did not ask nor order things that compromised the integrity of those around her even in the heat of battle. She did not detach herself from those who followed her as few discerned from the language of her body and the tone of her voice when a soldier or someone of equal importance fell in her service or vicinity. And unless there was something of greater importance in her mind, she did everything within her power to ensure she validated the hopes and faith placed upon her by those she respected...

To that end, the death knight sat within her temporary quarters as she reviewed records of those she knew and what information that could be ascertained on those who wished to join. Even with help, it was slow going; even Stormwind wasn't built in a day. Not to mention her returning battalion had suffered a division in the past years brought by death and betrayals, the potential recruits were more than likely free spirited adventurers with little to no martial discipline as a whole, and age old grudges weren't going to die off so easily.

A small sigh escaped the death knight as reason after reason piled up upon each other that would deem this endeavor quite the undertaking with or without outside help-

**_CRACK! BOOM!_**

The entirety of the building screeched in agony as a bomb outside gave its life for its user... and she had a fairly good idea as to who it was. In any case it warranted her personal attention...

With a resigned silent sigh of exasperation, she closed one of many books containing older documents bearing her former nation's seal.

XVX

Outside

"_Anyone else_ care to raise a ruckus?" a woman let out in a seething growl with a unlit bomb with a long but thin fuse in her raised hand. She was just short of six feet tall with messy hair barely kept back by a white headband that was situation high enough to allow her green eyes to shine... with barely held contempt for the time being. Her arms were overall bare save for a pair of dull red armlets on her forearms and twin tattoos, one tattoo for each, on both humors (upper arm). As to what they represented was a mystery to which the answer lied with its wielder. Guarding her chest was a vest-like chest plate and as such did little to hide her ample figure, nor of some bandages that appeared via the slightly large openings for her arms that loop around her body, more specifically her chest, as a undergarment. Her legs were garbed with the regular dark blue cloth of pants, though augmented with simple plates attached to near black leather bands and regular leather boots.

"_Well?_" In her mouth bobbed a _lit_ ornate smoking pipe that jostled dangerously close to lighting the fuse by accident. No one splayed out before her dared to move... or blink... or breath...

"Is there a problem out here?" With a expert jerk of the jaw, the pipe came to the near center of the woman's mouth to which the lit end continue to hover dangerously beneath the hanging fuse as she turned to face the questioner. "Oh nothing... just breaking up a would be fight," the bomb wielder replied near casually with only lingering traces of annoyance permeating her response.

Daring to peak past her, as subtly as possible of course, the death knight gleaned what she could without actually moving. Before the other woman lay several bodies, consisting of some from each faction, far too frightened of possible reprisal to move, all of whom were more scorched than harmed from the explosion that drew the former general from her abode. "The reason for it?" Harribel asked patiently. With a small scoff, the red coated woman returned her attention to the still cowering lot before her. "Idiot's being idiots," she finally replied.

Kukaku Shiba... no _official_ military record to her name. A survivor of Lordaeron with acknowledgements to aiding minute resistances during the post Scourge invasion evacuations by turning a once proud family orientated fireworks factory, of sorts at least, to a home front of munitions for explosives and the like for ambushes and combat in general. Outside of a younger brother, she had no family to speak of. Since Lordaeron fell, she had lived a marginally hermit lifestyle with nothing but the elements, her gunpowder related concoctions, and the occasional visit from her brother for company... and apparently a monk as well given that she was here since she had no palpable reason to be at Granite Springs let alone the fledging guild's current, possibly permanent base if time was favorable, base. All questions behind Naruto's logic behind convincing her to stay, at least for a time, was made evident when she had taken to quelling the more unruly of fights.

Needless to say her methods to keeping the peace were as effective as they were... loud.

With a mild shake of the head, Tier Harribel went back to her quarters, effectively leaving the downed group to the potentially lethal fate of a... peace keeper.

XVX

Undercity, twenty minutes later

As an environment, Naruto held little love for the underground city. Of course expectations were to remain low when the living dead made it clear they held almost no interest in keeping filth, grime, overall decay at bay when their own bodies fared no better even when cared for. It was really the sensw of claustrophobia that tended to besiege him where he once ventured in more open and inviting places, a condition which also made trips into Stormwind border on uncomfortable as well between the crowds and cramped clustering of buildings.

Yet he traveled on with Retsu under the undead escort through the magic quarter as per their arrival through a portal, past the canals, and up the ascending stairs followed shortly by the sloping pathway that followed it. There were few words spared between the monks and the more mobile guard afforded to them as they drew ever closer to the throne room of the Forsaken Queen for a conference between them; awkward silence reigned over the two groups as questions were left unanswered due to their own lack of knowledge other than Sylvanas had an acute desire to meet them for reasons only known to her and perhaps her personal guards at the most. Being curious, a touched concerned for what matters that involved her be it for good or ill, and currently lacking anything to do, he went on anyway past the final door.

A glance was spared towards the rising platform only accessed by a pair of stairs as they padded ever closer to it before its attention was robbed by a lone royal guardsman who intercepted them. "I thank you for your service, but I am afraid that only the... humans are only permitted to pass any further," he hoarsely rumbled. If the original party of Forsaken were upset by the news, or in the least bit surprise, they marvelously masked it in acceptance and respectful salutes before departing the scene with the door closing behind them soon after.

With a bow of his own, he motioned for them to follow him as his path took towards the platform. His true path however revealed itself with his passing of the stair in favor of following the curve towards the opposite side of the room till his path diverted once more towards the wall. Rotted hands watched over by quizzical eyes palmed the walls, bone digits carefully digging into the stone with minimal effect as they sought something hidden from common sight till they found what they desired. A switch disguised as one of the many large blocks of stone that made up the wall was pressed and as a direct result a doorway, also disguised as such, was heralded into existence with the smooth grinding of stone against stone.

Waiting for no acknowledgement on the monks' part, the guard slipped into the revealed passage and rapped on the door that barred everyone immediate entrance to what lied beyond it. "They are here Milady," the guard rasped before dutifully retreating to the side. At his own, albeit slightly hesitant, volition the monk approached the doorway under the quiet scrutiny of the guard. A hand stopped short of the handle as a sudden thought... and mild impulse struck him...

It would be a tad rude of him not to knock first.

However polite the thought was, it came with a slightly devious grin that Retsu had no need to see to know he was armed with it. Hence her mild jog to help consolidate what semblance of being a proper young man Naruto had in the eyes of the faction leader... even if it was, in all likelihood, almost nonexistent in the eyes of Sylvanas Windrunner. Unfortunately she was too late by the quick succession of knocks to the door that was precursor to the blond monk's entrance.

"FEAR NOT! FOR NARUTO UZUMAKI IS AT YOUR SERVICE!" Naruto bellowed upon opening the door in such a loud enough voice that even the nearby guard bolted, caught his foot on a previously unnoticed slab of a stone that jutted slightly from the floor, and fell over with a detached leg when the forces of gravity took over and cemented his humiliation. Though thankfully, by a small margin, his embarrassment over his situation went unnoticed as the monks' attention was solely spent on a equally disturbed, though not as embarrassed if at all, alabaster skinned elf garbed solely in an evening gown of blood red wool. Near accusing eyes laid upon the duo with the younger, by age, monk was the most predominant in the elf's vision by not only proximity but in determined, if not conclusive, perceived 'fault' that was in all probability an unintended act.

What dignity she had left in near empty anger was lost however with the opening of the young man's mouth. "Did you get a makeover?"

With a sudden turn, his hands intercepted an indignantly thrown leg tossed by a certain guard. "Ha! You missed!" That taunt turned into a lie when a flying shield connected to his face... courtesy of a undead guard made irate after the fact. With the heavy metal seemingly glued to his face, the monk crumbled in a defeat groan befitting of the situation.

Retsu, for what it's worth, could only chuckle nervously as she tended to the downed monk while an altered Sylvanas could only look on incredulously.

**A/N: More of a spoiler about me than the story... DOWN WITH GARROSH! No guarantees that I won't bash him.**

**And now on with the show despite flaming!**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**

Extra! To Tell of Recruiting: Kukaku Shiba

Elywnn Forest

A land of green and trees of tremendous height that even druids marvel at given the land's lack of an agent of nature like them affecting it, the Forest of Elywnn was a home to many folk ranging from farmers, to miners, loggers, and villagers alike. Provided that there is nothing to impede the lives of those who reside or work there that is.

Even with some form of scourge affecting them, life was peaceful as peaceful can be under the circumstances between the indigenous creatures both animalistic and sentient, or a mix between the two, and some bandit activity. As such, there was little to no reason _not_ to travel through the colossal trees on unmarked paths where the grass was the road as opposed to dirt and stone. Unfortunately, perhaps only to Naruto, this wasn't for sightseeing or mild exploration. It was more of a business venture if anything.

He had sent out numerous of invitations to hundreds if not thousands of people both free willed or, for the lack of a better term, conscripted into service in some form to at least hear him out. Only a surprising handful held out for a personal meeting as opposed to going out to Northrend...

Then again, few people actually _prefer_ to stay out of the cold... wimps.

Kukaku wasn't too different, but her means of contact was the most unusual by comparison to most with her more hermit-like style of living. With the lack of a mailbox and visitors, she was virtually cut off from the world in favor of living on her own terms. With that said, she only had two visitors if ever: Her little brother who had taken to living in the city instead of living with her and a certain slightly mischievous woman who was armed with a charm to keep her in the form of a cat.

How Yoruichi knew Kukaku, she did not say. How Naruto knew Kukaku... it was by proxy.

Why had he sent a letter to a recluse of a woman? Again, Yoruichi was involved.

How did he know where Kukaku lived? Yoruichi once more.

With that said after crossing over so many rivers, through dozens upon dozens of trees, to Kukaku's house they arrive much to the latter's surprise as made evident with her apparel of a sleeping robe while she whittled a piece of wood at her leisure in a handmade chair smoothened by age and repetition.

XVX

Kukaku's abode, Eleven minutes later

"Sorry about that, I wasn't expecting company," Kukaku offered as she settled herself down on the floor on a dried grass rug in a more receiving attire of a red sleeveless robe of plain stitching and equipped herself with an ornate smoking pipe. Her house was small, but not consisting of only one room like most. At most it seemed to consist of three rooms: The 'living room' as it were with some fixtures bent towards an impromptu kitchen, her bedroom given her change of clothing, and what possibly was a workroom for her craft if the faint odors of gunpowder and the small flecks of metal shavings that adorned the door knob were an indicator.

"Oh no problems at all! If anything it is we who should apologize for dropping by unannounced!" Naruto replied cheerily from his own spot on the floor. He was met only with a contemplative hum from the master of the woodland home, during which she lit her pipe and took a small, testing drag.

"So when's the earliest you can start?" Kukaku erupted in a coughing fit while Retsu level a curious but incredulous stare on the blond. "Excuse me?" the red robed woman wheezed out as her face became riddled with the markers of annoyance.

"Didn't you say in your last correspondence that you were willing to join?" Naruto responded 'innocently' with a 'innocent' tilt of the head.

"_No_."

"Huh... You sure?" Ripping his gaze from her, his attention turned to a note fished out from his pocket. "I also take it you also didn't agree to partake in the cross country marathon from Dun Morough to the Arathi Highlands..." A blackened brow twitched. "Punch a spider in the face..." Kukaku's brow twitched more severely. "Shave the beard off a dwarf and see how long you can escape his wrath..." Eyes clenched shut and a deep breath was taken in a mild attempt to calm her rising ire. "And dance exotically for all the visitors in the Merchant District of Stormwind?"

That did it.

To a normal eye everything that had happened afterward was a blur. Years spent with Naruto and training to avoid potentially lethal blows however driven her visual perception to, for the lack of a better word or terminology, 'evolve' to see details that most would miss in a heartbeat: Shukaku rising from her 'seat' was an act that any could see yet her reflexes, possibly honed by years of likewise events requiring swift punishment, were as fluid as water. From behind her, she grabbed what looked to be a glove riddled with several studs along each finger that seemed to glow a particularly troubling yellow aura the second her hand was fastened to it. From there she only had to take only one leaping bound of a step with her augmented hand thrown straight at the seemingly clueless blond, and when the blow found purchase...

**_BOOM!_**

The Shiba household became decorated with a newly christened hole in the side where a certain monk undoubtedly crashed through in a bright yellow flash of light.

Retsu sighed as she shook her head while Kukaku Shiba admonished the blond from the smoking crater that that was his new spot. "Look, I don't know what you're thinking but if you're not going to be serious about this than I don't see a point to this meeting!" she growled from the hole as she clenched her fist, bringing life back to her glove.

Her aggression however turned to disconcerting confusion when the monk was _cackling_ from the dusty crater that cleared ever so slowly. "Sorry about that! I just wanted to see for myself if what Yoruichi said was true! You're perfect in what I'm looking for!" The dust eroded with the gentle breeze to reveal the monk was standing without so much as a hint of a scratch on his person while sporting a slightly unashamed yet mischievous grin. "Let's talk business then, shall we?"

With a twitching brow, more out of disturbance than irritation, Kukaku turned her head with the same grace as a rusty door knob being rotated to the raven haired monk still in the house. "He's nowhere near normal, is he?" she deadpanned in exasperation. Retsu only offered a small courteous smile in return... with the slightest hint of a overwhelming desire to answer her with a yes.

With another twitch of the brow, Kukaku slowly turned to the same monk from before though her eye flicked to a falling piece of paper.

"I'll admit, I almost panicked back there when you came at me-" Naruto started as he gave himself a precursory brushing to knock away loose dirt, Kukaku however interjected with a quick snatching of a falling piece of paper formerly in Naruto's possession and read aloud. "Bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, roast beef... you were reading a shopping list?"

"Uh... yes?" Naruto nervously answered with his grin still attached, though it too was tinged with his growing dread.

Her features grew dark with a newfound vengeance as she held up her gloved hand. "Just do me a favor and hold still."

From inside Retsu only shook her head once before leaving her seat to man the 'kitchen' sink, during which the thunderous crash of one punch followed by another as Kukaku's blows seemed to miss her cackling teacher in the ways of offensive arts.

How Naruto was to convince Kukaku Shiba to help out with his plan, she knew not at this point. But if anything, brewing a batch of tea wouldn't hurt his chances.


	15. Chapter 12, Reactions (part 2)

**This story is meant for entertainment purposes, I otherwise would not put a disclaimer here for Naruto and Warcraft... (Sniffs) I kind of wish I owned the latter though. For added protection, I also add Bleach though it is in terms of characters only, not universe. I own not those three.**

Path of a monk

Chapter 12: To tell of reactions, part 2

Dalaran

There it was... just preening its feathers with nary a thought to what fate that awaited it. There was little Rhonin could do to _not_ snicker as her cocked his thumb back as he pointed his index finger at the hapless flying rat of a bird.

"Not going to leave your bloody marks on _my_ roof," he sneered as a small digit-sized fiery ball of pigeon exterminated whisked into existence at the end of his finger.

Unfortunately for Rhonin, fate seemed to decree that the bird shall live when his destiny as a slayer of birds was interrupted with the decisive gripping of his ear and subsequent yanking of it to not only elicit a cry of shock as well as anguish but also cancel the minute fireball spell that had been the outright doom of many a pigeon. "Ah! Ah! I give!" he cried.

"Come on _dear_. I am not going to listen to the council complain _again_ about you being tardy just to satisfy your bloodlust."

"But they started it!" A sharp tug of the ear was response enough on Vereesa's behalf as she made all the more effort on 'escorting' her slightly crazed husband. "Just one pigeon, _please_?"

_Tug_.

"Ow!"

XVX

Hidden Chamber, Undercity

The monks had left only once for the sake of privacy on her behalf. In all honesty, Sylvanas wasn't sure which was more uncomfortable now: Being alone or being with company. When her life was stilled, there was no need for warmth or the comforts company could bring. At least that is what was for her where her reason for being, the only purpose she could find for herself while trapped in the world of the living in the ruined draping of what she once was, was to exact revenge on the one(s) who had wronged her without remorse. Now that she once again drew breath, had a pulse, everything became askew as emotions once thought... dead were resurrected along with her body. Though she had a loyal cadre of her followers guarding her person and secret to the best of their abilities, she dared not venture beyond her former joke of a bedroom to lead the host of free wills that looked up to her...

She gritted her teeth as she schooled her altered features, now garbed in a black silken dress trimmed in silver that danced along the cuffs and various spaces between her shoulders and the very edge of her dress where the lines of silver sprawled out like vines, as she examined herself in a full body mirror. There was no time for weakness, a healthy dose of caution perhaps, but she was The Banshee Queen. Even before her death, she had never gotten to where she was by cowering in a hole in the wall that wasn't supposed to be given a real purpose. She is a recognized might and she will have answers... no matter how damning they might be.

"Enter," she commanded. She quickly scanned herself for any imperfection of her appearance as that would only serve to damage her image, no matter how fragile it really was regardless of her admittance or denial of the subject. There was none that her dark amethyst eyes could tell.

The door to her dwelling creaked upon to announce her visitors to whom she faced diligently in the forcefulness that was her nature during her time as the Ranger General of Silvermoon and later as the Queen Forsaken.

"Never did answer my question," Naruto grumbled with a small pout as he shuffled in. It was enough to raise the small curious tilt of a brow.

A scowl formed, eyes scrunched up to slits, his mouth unsealed himself, and a lone finger rose up to... be interrupted by the decisive action of Retsu Unohana to stand between the two to not only block each other visually, but also to steal the attention. "Please pardon us My Lady," she uttered respectively with a courteous bow. "But as you may have learned, or at least heard, he tends to act unusual at his own choosing regardless of whose company he is in," she continued, unhindered by the disheartened "aw" of a foiled attempt from Naruto.

The silvered brow slowly set itself back to its natural resting spot soon after while the faction leader contented herself with staring with a critical eye at the monk in front of her as well as her blond counterpart who was hidden behind her by intention, though the reasoning to it was now deprived if what Sylvanas thought was correct. "Be that as it may, I believe we can all acknowledge that questions will be asked today," she prominently spoke while sauntering around the raven haired monk to elicit a view of the blond one while keeping her sights on the former. She was neither disturbed nor amused to find him in a friendly disposition while offering her a small wave.

"And I will see to it that questions will be _answered_."

XVX

Meanwhile Stormwind Keep, Stormwind

"This is unacceptable!" an authoritative rugged voice barked throughout the halls of the fortress that was a castle.

"You need to calm down," a softer voice, a woman's voice mildly rebuked as well as ordered in her own fashion.

Gender mattered little to a black cat that silently crept through the halls in leisure; no one paid attention to what was commonly considered a house pet be it guard or servant unless acting on an impulse to pet a feline as it sauntered past them. Slipping past a guard and pawing its way through an open crack in the doorway, the whiskered creature slinked into the war room and paid its current occupants of a handful of guards, bearing the tabards of Stormwind and Theramore as well as their respective equipment, and two notable leaders amongst the human race no mind as it leapt onto a table by the door without notice towards the leap as well as the subsequent settling into the stand.

"You can toss me into the seas of Northrend to cool my head if you so wish, but my objection will still stand," the male half of the leaders all but snarled. He was of impressive height amongst men by at least three-fourths of a head taller than most men. From the way he was gesturing, as well as virtually pacing back and forth between Jaina Proudmoore, only those who were not associated to paladins or warriors, if not the respective class themselves, would wonder how he was able to move so proficiently in bulky armor that overlapped itself by several dark blue plates given a thick edging of muted gold with the only exceptions being his choice of pants, made by overlapping layers of leather as opposed to plate as far as mobility was concerned, and his pauldrons that were fashioned into a lion's head and a gryphon's head. His black as midnight hair, save for two bangs that framed the sides of his face, was tied up into a spiky pony tail of some length. The only feature left to be noticed by any observer was the pair of scars, one horizontally crossing underneath one eye to the next while the second ran directly over his eye and crossed the first scarm, that ran surprisingly straight as can be given the underlying muscles and bone structure of any creature's head.

He was King Varian Wrynn, the ruler of Stormwind. Rightful ruler of his kingdom of Stormwind and chiefly known arguer against Jaina's position towards clemency towards the Horde.

"And you can rant to your heart's delight but I will not change my own mind on the matter," Theramore's ruler replied sternly with a pointed frown.

"His ideas are far more of a risk to everyone in the Alliance than it is a boon," Varian half growled.

"I'm well aware of the potential risks there are for this guild, but I sincerely doubt he didn't consider this before he made his announcement known," Jaina retorted coolly.

The King scoffed. "How so? He picked a sympathizer to those misbegotten wretches-"

"I'm more than aware of her history," Jaina interrupted. "Yet I have faith that she didn't do what she did either out of pity or bribery, otherwise I'm more than certain Naruto would have found someone else for the position."

"It would be far better that you would-"

"I'm not going to try it. His mind is more than set to see that this guild will live up to what he aspires it to be."

"I have long known you Jaina, yet even I'm amazed that he can enthrall you of all people into his camp," Varian suddenly stated as he neared the full-bodied wooden block that was a table for the war room bearing an enlarged map of the frozen north bearing all the significant markers from troop positions to enemy strongholds. A small blank banner was situated over the recorded camp of the Two Spirits guild was being marshaled.

Jaina narrowed her eyes at her fellow ruler and crossed her arms. "I am not so foolish as to believe that this will work beyond a doubt, but I will support him where I can."

A hefty "humph!" escaped the King as he fixated his glare at the blank banner.

XVX

Hidden Chamber, Undercity

Impatience. As refreshing as it was in its own strange way in her revived body, she was no stranger to it even after her tenure during and after the Scourge. She spent many a year training to reign in her frustration over waiting for something to happen, but there were exceptions to that policy of restraint where her patience ran thin on an emotional level. Namely her exceptions consisted of plots against _him_ where she was forced to distract herself lest she became counterproductive in whatever project, though in hindsight she may have detected and prevented what was now a thorn to her side before the Argent Crusade taken to the Icecrown Citadel's corridors had she not vented her frustrations elsewhere.

Now her aggravation lay in her potential fate while a pair of monks stood silent while the blond one, the more irritable of the two by not only his criticism of earlier at the Citadel itself but by the potential contribution he had inadvertently given in her "rebirth," took his time to cogitate the answer as he sat on the floor with a cup of steaming tea in his clutches. Where he got it, she had no idea given her back was turned to him at the time. She silently sighed more than once... but bit the bullet regardless of her mounting nervousness that tried to manifest itself into her fingers as they twitched to drum on something as she sat in a chair.

Forcing an answer out of him was most likely to yield more problems than solutions... she knew not her powers and abilities as of the moment for she had not dared to leave her dwelling till she gained something resembling an answer, not to mention she would be facing what claimed to be a monk yet held the power to turn into a beast that could, literally as the rumors suggest, rip apart an enemy even she couldn't defeat with the aid of others.

So all she could do is wait for her question to be answered... and survive whatever ordeal that may come of it.

"It most likely had nowhere to go." The leader of the free willed undead slowly blinked as her mind processed the... bland, description-less answer. Even Retsu seemed as perturbed as she was as the monk gave the blond one her own attention.

"Would you please elaborate on what you mean, Master Naruto?" The twitch was not lost on either of them, nor did it bear an interest for either woman.

The blond however remained silent as he took another long sip from his cup before resting the cup onto the palm of his hand. "It makes the most sense to be at least," he stated as suddenly and as casually as before with a finger held up to silence any further questioning. At least for the time being.

"Whether anyone realizes it or not, a lot more than healing energies are transferred to something under a healer's touch when using the shroud as a substitute rather than whatever power they come to rely on to mend the body." In the corner of her eye, Sylvanas caught something of a restrained twitch of a confused frown form on the other woman's lips before reverting back to normal. The small apologetic flash of a smile didn't escape her either. A neglected piece of information perhaps?

"It was something that came to my attention sometime after my shroud was discovered to be malleable enough under the care of a mistweaver to use as a means to heal others and by essence conserve energy on their part for other endeavors. Essentially, their pools of mana would essentially be untouched and free to be used for other tasks." He took a sip from his drink before continuing. "The side effect to this however was only noticed after so many times it was applied to others: The shroud, when manipulated for healing purposes, tends to energize the body to not only recover faster when the injured party is left to their own devices but gives them a set of enhanced attributes that the body eventually burns off as the body exhausts the supply given to it."

"If I'm understanding this correctly, it's a form of spell benefiting someone much like when a priest increases the fortitude of those in need of it?" Retsu curiously asked.

The blonde's lips scrunched up while he set his cup down. He scratched the back of his head as he closed his eyes in thought. "Actually its closer to reverse inebriation if anything."

"Come again?" Sylvanas asked in terse skepticism. Her eyes narrowed to half lidded slits as she rained in her pulse that shot up due to the implications her mind besieged her with.

"Normal inebriation would be where someone consume more alcohol, or whatever substance that can alter the body's ability to perceive things, the greater their senses would be impaired. My shroud when being used by a mistweaver works in reverse where it starts out at maximum before slowly dwindling down till the affected one's body was at the state it was originally in as far as their prime attributes are concerned," Naruto explained without opening his eyes.

"And what of me?" Sylvanas asked as calmly as possible...

Blue eyes met amethyst as he again considered how to answer. "To be honest, this technique was never used on the living dead till the day with the encounter of Ulquiorra." The pale fingers of the Banshee Queen, however debatable that title was now, gently pressed themselves into her clothed leg. "So in other words you have no idea if this is just a temporary state or not?" she inquired. The scrutinizing stare from the blond only served to make matters worse as her panic over the unknown rose. Inadvertently or not, she was a test subject... with no way of knowing what will happen.

She could die tomorrow and never come back. Could she be resurrected in the same macabre ideal that most of her kind more or less suffered? Even if that was possible, would she retain or regain her abilities that she wielded with confidence after such a fact or would she be in essence stuck with the same strengths as what passed off as a civilian amongst her kind? Would the Forsaken even accept her for the state she was in now? Would some puppet like Putress claim her thrown if they forced her off one way or another and ruined what was still left of the Forsaken in reputation and honor?

Her body began to quake as question after question began to pile up upon her. Cowardice was not becoming of her! Her name was feared as it was respected as derived from that fear! She _is_ the Forsaken Queen! The leader of the undead... who are lead by one much like them... who didn't have a pulse.

"Why am I afraid?" She wasn't! She is Sylvanas Windrunner! She had nothing to li-... Her goal was vengeance! Fear was never her nature! Neither was doubt! She will see to it Arthas' head hung from the very battlements of this city he had once vested interest in when it was simply a castle both before and after his corruption! Once the dead was done she'll... she'll...

She continued to tremble as her arms slowly circled around her...

"Why..." Where was her confidence? Her level headedness? Why is it that the idea of the unknown terrify her so? Why can't she shield herself? Where was her anger? Her hatred? Her sense of purpose? She needed someone to blame! Arthas! He-... had nothing to do with this. The monks! She could blame them! That's right! If it wasn't for them, she would... be back under Arthas' thumb...

She... needed... something. Something to take her mind off what had happened to her. She needed something to distract her from the real fact that she was amongst the living, thus not immortal as far as the world was concerned.

Already she could feel _his_ gaze upon her with that _weapon_ in his clutch, just waiting for her to show herself-

To her shock, made evident with the harsh tensing of every fiber of her being, something had eluded her senses to... embrace her? Constricted amethyst dark amethyst eyes agape to find whoever dared to touch her so familiarly that only her family, before her demise at least, held her so when she needed comfort? It was the blond monk! A quick glance ensured the other one was at bay at her own respective resting place. The raven haired monk seemed as apprehensive about this as Sylvanas was. Had he gone crazy? To think _she_ of all people needed help?

With what might she could muster, she sought to break out of the monk's ever-present hold on her...

XVX

War Room, Stormwind Keep, Stormwind

"The Horde is composed of nothing but murderers and thieves Jaina. When backed into a corner when presented by something of a far greater than they are, or when you have your back turned to them, they show their true natures just like they did at Wrathgate."

XVX

War Room, Stormwind

"The loses at Wrathgate are more than tragic, but it was not be the Horde's design nor knowing-"

"It proves that the Horde cannot be trusted given its own nature of housing those who would sooner butcher good men and women than help. If fortune favors him, he'll learn the savage nature of the horde..."

XVX

Hidden Chamber, Undercity

A pale limb freed itself, quaking as horribly as the rest of its master, and arched behind the blond.

XVX

War Room, Stormwind

"And survive whatever harrowing experience that comes of it," the King stated. His gaze never lifting from the blank banner that stared back at him.

XVX

Hidden Chamber, Undercity

Spasms one after another manifested themselves into her hand as her mind fought over what to do. Strike? Accept? Force him away? Why did he hold her so? She wasn't a storybook damsel in distress who needed to be rescued! She was a force to be feared that didn't... need... to be held...

Her hand balled up into a fist as it continued to tremble from so many things not limited to the mind alone. Slowly, ever so slowly, her hand unbound itself from her own grip... and settled onto the onk's back in defeat, followed shortly as her head came to rest on his shoulder while her own back barely registered the gentle ministrations of the monk's hand.

XVX

War Room, Stormwind

"Of course even after he learns this lesson, I _will_ see to it that this foolish act isn't without consequence," Varian added at his own pace.

"What are you planning to do?" Jaina asked suspiciously. Her own curiosity, and apprehension of what Varian was to claim, was more than enough of a prompt to reach the edge of the table to which the King of Stormwind resided.

Even the cat on the table turned, having fallen asleep or at least a facsimile of it some time ago, opened a golden eye to the reigning lord of the human capital city.

XVX

Brightwater Lake, Tirisfal Glades, three hours later

Assurances have been rendered, a leader of a faction had been calmed down from the stress mounting from drastic changes none had seen before, and a mild, possibly mild at least, death threat was dispensed upon revealing her dismal state that Naruto tended to.

However none of which was in any way considered abnormal or even distressing for that matter for Retsu Unohana. Seeing the blond monk meditating however for at least two hours and a half was enough to register as weird given her experiences with him. She was aware that on occasion he performed the act, yet they lasted at least twenty minutes or so at the longest whereas his record for actually doing nothing was an hour at the most; he could never really stand for doing nothing for excessive periods of time without something to coax him so. Of course she knew he wasn't exactly doing nothing... he was conversing with the fox that resided in him.

She couldn't help but smirk slightly upon learning it the first time near two years ago. It was hard not to considering he had taught her the art of the Zen Pilgrimage with a letter addressed to "Lefty" on the same day. Master Shion wasn't as much amused by whatever prompted Naruto to call her that, nor did it seem like the first time her called her as such in any form, as she was curious to the fact that he had taken on, for all intents and purposes, an apprentice of sorts. At least as far as combat was concerned.

It was something, quote, "he said he would not do." Curious... but whatever reasoning he had was never shared at length.

Regardless, it was the start of many things, including a secret Naruto willingly shared with few as far as Retsu knew. She never would've guessed that a human could play host for a creature of great magnitude by the designs of another, not to mention that humans seemed to occupy parts of the world not yet known and develop their own methods of battle using what could be considered to be a mix between chi and magic. In both instances, it was unsettling to say the most to learn of such truths.

Yet she, like so many others before and most likely after her, trusted Naruto all the same.

As for the supposed Nine-Tails however, that remained to be seen.

She gently sighed as she cast her gaze onto two notes awaiting to be mailed, written by Naruto in the event he forgets for one reason or another. One was for the Earthen Ring while the other the Cenarion Circle, what part they played also remained to be seen. She shook her head as her mind arrived to a new thought: Sylvanas' "rebirth" as it were. "It most likely had nowhere to go - reverse inebriation," from the fact that his cloak, even altered in its purpose from the apparent strengthening of offense and defense it was known for, didn't alter the perceptions of the mind and body it was more likely that the energies its consists of essentially houses itself inside the body with only one method of release. Given the nature of the undead, their bodies do not essentially "burn off" energy, at least not by the normal means associated with a living body. However that didn't explain how some of them could still get drunk or can be effected by mind altering substances that are not magical by nature...

Perhaps in part that is why Naruto was meditating, to learn of whatever perk that made the cloak's effects so special on the undead if Sylvanas wasn't an exception.

The rustling of the nearby brush drew her attention to a small figure, a dwarf, emerging from the woodwork with an envelope held aloft much like a white flag of surrender. It didn't make him any less suspicious however. He was garbed from head to toe to conceal his identity, more or less of the same exact design as many covert agents would partake in for assassinations in the shadows. Or to deliver a message in secret as the case may be.

With hands held aloft, the dwarvern rogue approached the encampment in measured steps before releasing his cargo at the very edge before slipping back into the darkness of thier surroundings. Minding her surroundings, Retsu leaned over to pick up the letter.

It was for Naruto, courtesy of Yoruichi if she was to judge the handwriting of his name on the front. The monk's thumb quickly traced itself throughout the letter to find nothing inside it other than the paper itself whatever lay within. She gave the older monk, by the right of training, a glance to find him still locked in the same state he was while she pondered whether or not she should read it. Ethically it was wrong for her to peer inside given that it was intended for the monk who sat a few feet away... but this was Yoruichi. A legend as far as the SI: Seven was concerned who sat just underneath Matthias Shaw, its current leader. She was no stranger as far as the occasional letter was concerned, but those letters came from the _mailbox_. Obviously they were of no great importance if she could wait a few days.

Sending a messenger however spoke of a greater urgency, finding Naruto for that messenger to find, even in what would be considered enemy territory for the Alliance, only served to hint as to how urgent it was.

She grimaced upon opening it, which was only made worse when its contents was revealed to be of one sentence: "King Varian has banished you."

Ever so quietly, Retsu closed the letter and drew a calming breath as she prepared herself to deliver the disappointment to her teacher of the offensive arts.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**

Extra! To Tell of Recruiting: Kenpachi Zaraki

Granite Springs, Grizzly Hills

Many gave the two death knights a wide girth while an even greater number outright fled to safer ground. It was for the best, Tier Harribel supposed, since this mercenary wasn't... invited so to speak.

While true that he bore no true allegiance to anything, that itself was a problem into itself. Kenpachi was liable enough to turn on them as easily as he turned on his other employers as quickly as someone learned of and took advantage of his expiring contracts. Not to mention he had a bloodlust that was only satiated by finding and fighting against opponents he considered strong...

And Naruto fit that bill. It was only a matter of time before he showed up to pick a fight with him.

Unacceptable.

In a quick draw she drew out her sword, which rested in a scabbard that clung to her back, to let loose her weapon of choice, a hollowed out one edged broadsword of blackened titanium, in defense of the straight down chop the orc tried to cleave her in half with. His tactic as to how to draw NAruto out was as simple as can be- defeat Harribel, and eventually Naruto would come looking for her to avenge her.

Again, unacceptable.

Her free hand clenched, encased in wintery air chilled by her own power, and launched it into the waiting palm of her orcish counterpart.

How little he was prepared for the concussive force she had built up beforehand as made evident with his entire body being jettisoned to the base of one of the timbers that surrounded the makeshift base. "Heh, I guess a get a fight either way," he grunted with a satisfied, bloodthirsty grin.

Harribel silently raised her sword pointedly at the orc as he rose up and charged at her while the ground beneath her feet grew ever so colder that frost began to coat the ground. The first thrust was dodged, the following swing blocked. A quick thrust forward was enough to jerk Kenpachi's blade back for Harribel to slip under it and swipe at the orc's legs. In reverse, her own sword was blocked by the unprecedented speed of her larger counterpart when his own sword came down in defense.

"Got to do better than that!" he mocked as he quickly rose one foot up only to slam it back into the ground with shocking force that jolted Harribel from the ground, leaving her defenseless to an oncoming kick that propelled her away from her frozen patch of earth. Grinning viciously, Kenpachi followed shortly after sending his own counterpart away by leaping after her with both hands on his katana of a sword. His airborne advance however was halted with the sudden jolt of a stop in midair when Harribel, landing roughly yet maintaining her balance in a crouch regardless, brought her attention to bear on Kenpachi with a hand raised in a grasping motion.

"Damn Asphyxiate!" Kenpachi croaked as he instinctively clutched his throat to rid of himself of the nonexistent hands that choked him. From below, the appointed guild master ran past him with only two blows to glance off his armor to mark her passing as well as the conjuring of a ghoul from his shallow grave to occupy Kenpachi when he was freed from the dark means to incapacitate him. In the confines of her frozen earth, tendrils of shadows sparked off her body and snaked their way into the ground in wild arcs while her true attention focused on the frost growing into small piles of ice that ran along the edge of her growing patch of frosted ground. Ice turned to sickles, sickles that carved into the chilled earth while corpses burst forth from the ground unaffected by Harribel's power in a single minded pursuit of the orc as he landed back on the ground with his sword already carving into the chest of the ghoul with ease. "Let's end this," she murmured to herself as runes were carved around her in a perfect ring and encased in a line rubbing both above and below in an equally perfect ring.

With Kenpachi, a veritable maelstrom of a pasty green orc with his sword outstretched repeatedly hacked into the minions of the guild master as it strove towards the death knight that awaited him, once more bearing her blade at him with cool determination in her arcane circle. A distasteful frown creased itself upon him as he reached for his eye patch, but if he was half right he would need his full power if he is to withstand whatever it is that the death knight had prepared for him. "Too damn soon," he grumbled as he ripped off his eye patch.

Twins roars ripped their way across the makeshift compound for the Two Spirits guild, one originating from the formerly compressed power held back by an enchanted leather eye patch while the other came from the nearby spring as the body of water rose up from its rest in a living pillar and barreled toward the orc death knight in a roar of onrushing water.

"what the hell-" Kenpachi uttered as he gaped in confusion at the tendril of water as it came at him, crashed into him, and carried him off to smash him into a tree. Unfortunately for the orc, the tendril in its rage was not content with giving him this fate as it pressed onward into him as well as the bark that splintered under the assault. A blob of water, originating from the base of the tentacle of water, surged forward to the very end holding the orc captive against the tree in whatever ploy it had to ensure it accomplished its job. It seemed more than enough when the tree gave way underneath Kenpachi as orcish skin, plate, and water tore through the towering tree in an orc sized hole. Kenpachi, still trapped by the liquid tentacle, rocketed upward at an abrupt angle only to come back down as suddenly as he was tossed up.

Glowing blue eyes widened to their limits as the ground came up to the orc at the startling pace of the water's speed and gravity combined...

Both the orc, and the subverted liquid, plowed straight into the earth with the latter cutting into the dirt, sinking the orc death knight trapped within the globule of possessed water till both vanished into a murky sinkhole.

Austere eyes critically stared at the hole for several minutes, half expecting the orc to rise from his waterborne grave with all the rage and insanity he was known for...

It seemed he was down for when half an hour passed. Holstering her sword back to its resting place, the guild master walked back to her office sparing not a word nor glance to anyone who came to her or Kenpachi's grave.

XVX

The next day

"Boss-lady! BOSS-LADY!" Though Tier Harribel deigned to look up from her files, it was one of her subordinates, Apache, who answered the door as a troll pounded against it for dear life. "What!?" she snarled at the troll as he sputtered back, his blue skinned paled to a deathly tone. "It's bad enough you're asking for Master Harribel's time and that you adressed her as "boss-lady," so speak!" she snarled as she grabbed the troll by the collar of his armor and mildly shook him where he stood.

"My, my. As impatient as ever, Apache?" Cyan, another subordinate, rhetorically queried.

"The runt barely knows where to show patience, especially when it's obvious this guy is upset over something," Mila Rose, third member of Harribel's entourage, half growled.

"Oh shut it gorilla woman!" Apache snapped back.

"You shut it!"

"N-"

The arguing pair grew silent when their Lady rose from her seat and pointedly passed the two of them with nary a glance spent to them. The troll, still sputtering, excitedly pointed towards the inner sanctum of the camp.

Glowing eyes widened and constricted to near slits as Harribel spotted the source of the troll's woe and marched forward without a word spent. She didn't have a need to speak, not to them at least.

"Are you here for a second punishment, _Zaraki_?" The massive orc, sitting contently on a fallen log by himself since the original residents of the spot fled and left their meals behind in their haste, slowly turned in his spot with what could be considered a tame version of his more vicious of smiles. "Nope, I'm here to join," he rumbled.

Already narrowed eyes narrowed even further. "I sincerely doubt that," she uttered. Her eyes went further in their constriction by a fraction when the undead orc before her chuckled.

"I bet. But it's the truth. You see, guilds by their nature always go out and take out powerful guys, fun guys to fight for that matter, when they show up. The more powerful the guild is, the more likely they get to go after the more dangerous the guy." A toothy smile slowly emerged from him. "My line of thinking is that eventually that if this guild does the same, not to mention would most likely have some visits from the monk, I'm going to be just fine here."

Harribel's eyes were slits as they stared at the other death knight. It was clear enough he won't leave unless he was driven bored by the guild. And if he was half as smart as she suspected, he most likely given thought that the Two Spirits would most likely be answering requests from both the Horde and the Alliance, not to mention other factions as well, which in essence guaranteed his lust for blood will be met by challenges...

Not to mention that chances were good that he would come after Naruto...

"You _will_ be answering to me if you stay here," she spoke in an octave higher than a hiss.

The toothy grin remained the same... no. If anything it only grew wider as the two stared each other down.

Not even Yachiru Kusajishi rocketing past them screeching a mad sugar induced cackle with what appeared to be a bag of the substance itself could rob them of their contest of wills.

"WHO STOLE ALL THE SUGAR?!"


	16. Chapter 13

**This story is meant for entertainment purposes, I otherwise would not put a disclaimer here for Naruto and Warcraft... (Sniffs) I kind of wish I owned the latter though. For added protection, I also add Bleach though it is in terms of characters only, not universe. I own not those three.**

Path of a monk

Chapter 13: To tell of an revelation

Rooftop, Stormwind Keep,Stormwind, two days later

"BWAHA! BWAH-HAHA! FFFWAHAHHAA HA!"

Sui-Feng did not even have half of a percent of the same amusement that now overtook Yoriuchi Shihoin if any such merriment existed at all. She just could not believe the sheer _audacity_ and _childishness_ that seemed to be interwoven into the very being of that so called "monk" that left her Lady a cackling mess on the tiles and leaving her King, thankfully unaware of their presence, stupefied to a degree she could only _imagine_. There, sitting in plain view of the tower that housed his Majesty's room with an open window showcasing it to the man who just got out of bed, was a crude drawing of the blond monk's face sticking his tongue out at the man while an enlarged crude drawing of a hand pulled down his right eye. To add salt to the wound, it seemed the monk, or at least an accomplice to him, had taken the time to decorate the various rooftops of the castle with numerous images of swirls, stars, and the monk laughing his already bodiless head off.

Slowly, ever so slowly that it seemed to take forever to do, the rogue palmed her face and tried to imagine herself and Lady Yoruichi elsewhere lest King Varian takes his wrath out on them when he comes too. "Damn you monk," she muttered lowly. Her Lady's laughter continued unabated whether or not she heard it over her squall while grasping her hurting abdomen.

XVX

Granite Springs, Grizzly Hills

Overall she couldn't say how she felt as she watched the letter burned to a blackened, ashen state as the hungry flames devoured the parchment and its content. Relieved? Comforted? Or perhaps intrigued? It was too soon to tell at least; it could have been a fluke as he hypothesized, thus rendering any hope. The world was host to many strange things both wondrous and nightmarish either by design or by chance from an unintended act much like this discovery she was to keep to herself…

Warmed at best if she was to choose an emotion of any kind. While her personal cadre were unfalteringly loyal to her to the point that their undead state is considerable to a discomfort than a problem, she had to fight off a smile more than once to find that others trusted her as well to willing put sensitive information in her hands, not to mention risk what credit he had by endorsing her without a second thought…

Regardless of restraint, a smile crept up upon her as she leaned back into her chair of her makeshift office and rests her arms beneath her bosom. Her glowing eyes became hidden under her lids as they too came to a rest, and her body relaxed even further into her seat. Her smile was marred however with the reopening of her ever glowing eyes however as her lips contorted back to her more neutral setting. While Sylvanas' newfound condition was interesting to learn of, his banishment from Stormwind was but a day old as far as news went. If anything that shocked her about it was the fact that King Varian would be so tame as to banish only one man where he could've banished every one of his countrymen if they dared to associate themselves with Two Spirits, but the result was the same regardless. While recruits were coming in by a small trickle at best to begin with outside of the original meeting, besides an oddly suspicious amount of dwarves that shown up that is, the parade of humans coming to join all but stopped. A few even outright left.

No matter, there was a considerable number still left in their disorganized ranks. She had been given a mission and she will see to it that this hope Naruto had trusted her with becomes not only a reality but a stepping stone to a better future as he so hoped if they flourish.

_BOOM!_

Provided that her current contingent of adventurers lived through Kukaku's methods of keeping order around the compound of course.

With a sigh, she left her seat and headed for the door with only one stop in between the two to cast her gaze upon the burnt letter on her table. "May your latest venture be as successful as you wish it to be," she murmured before returning her focus to the task at hand.

XVX

Winterspring

Though not Northrend by any stretch, Naruto was not fond of the cold. He could, and did on more than one occasion, put on the heaviest clothes with the greatest enchantments to keep him warm and he would still find himself mildly irritated by any climate that supports the existence of snow. Sometimes he even envied dwarves and other such beings whose lives essentially consists of snow, thus making any day in a wintery scene just another day in their lives.

Yet unfortunately his ardent wish for a meeting in a more comfortable, to him at least, location was dashed when the two groups he had requested aid from agreed to a region which the conflict of factions was as foreign as the wind was to the depths of the sea.

Apparently neither side liked Tanaris and its lovely climate of the desert, snow's natural opposite in life….

"Jerks," Naruto mumbled as he trudged through the beaten path that had long since taken him past Starfall Village. "I just _had_ to request a certain amount of secrecy…" he grumbled once more. The Moonglade was a place that virtually had no need to bar visitors from their domain, thus rendering any meeting of a surreptitious nature impossible lest they obtain the curiosity of an someone sensing something out of place in the region. The Earthen Ring however was of a more paranoid nature, their meetings were more random in both location and time as a means to ward off of those who had ill intentions regarding the balance of the elements have given testament to this sense of wariness. As such there was no recognized ground to which the Earthen Ring occupied for an extended period of time unlike their druidic counterparts for their own meetings.

"Could've picked Tanaris however…" he grouched as her diverted off the path and followed the gentle slope next to it to its valley floor without much to note on his part. "Kun-Lai was bad enough," he grumbled. The Badlands was a good enough place as well, even Feralas for that matter with its dense foliage.

Grumbling aside, he marched on with a restrained sigh as he sought the cave the delegations were supposed to reside in for the time being as per the standing agreement between the two sides on such short notice… in the cold…

"Plenty of space in Outland, but _noooo_." Grizzly Hills, despite being in Northrend, was by far warmer than this land of snow, leopards, and berserk wildkin.

"_RWAR!_" A swift fist jerked back to smack the snout of a charging bear with more than enough force to not only deter the attack but to force the creature into submission as the sound of retreating paws crunching the snow made evident…

He had long since forgotten that bears were indigenous to Winterspring. "No bears anywhere else," he grumbled before coming to a sudden halt upon realizing something. "Feralas has bears," he begrudgingly admitted before trudging forward once more to find that seemingly elusive cave.

XVX

Three minutes later

His mood lessened from its dour state to something more akin to what the world knew him as. However that didn't mean he liked his surroundings, namely the lack of warmth in the air as deprived in a region that was winter year round as opposed to following the seasons much like the world at large, and chances were that he was going to go back the same way he came if the passage he now followed lead to a cave that was either empty or a den to something else entirely.

"Ah. We've been expecting you." In the midst of a gentle stop, the monk's head swiveled to the one who had addressed him and rose both brows in surprise. There standing atop of a small ledge overlooking the passage was a pale furred, some some brown among his arms and of black hair for a mane, tauren with a missing horn dressed simply in tanned clothes of both leather and cloth with the thick bands of stitching showing without shame. At first glance one would mistake him as a rural shaman of sorts, but no. He was Hamuul Runetotem, an Archdruid of the Cenarion Circle.

"Well, I'll admit I wasn't expecting to meet someone of such renown to be here," Naruto admitted with a chuckle.

A hum emanated from the druid before turning around and disappearing into the depths of the hollowed earth through his own passage in the stone. "Take the path to the left when it starts to fork, we've already prepared what we believe should help you ascertain the answer you seek," his voiced echoed from within.

With a sigh bearing no meaning, he returned to his respective path and ventured forth with all due haste.

XVX

Hidden Chamber, Undercity

A darkened amethyst eye warily gazed upon the raven haired monk as she sat upon her legs that were tucked under her and rested her hands upon her thighs. Her eyes had long since been closed to the world around her for an act she, or rather they given her path in life, called mediation. Its purpose was to find a balance within one's self, to focus the mind, enhance one's discipline over one's self… and at times root out whatever struggle that lay within that the conscious mind could not comprehend.

And she was considering it…

While her current condition was still a secret as far as Undercity, and by proxy the world at large, was concerned, she was not taking risks. With what assurances that could be given, she taken to her olden training regime that she practiced more out of boredom and a method of releasing stress when her fate amongst the undead seemed to be written in stone. The results were not to her liking. Her powers were still there, but they did not come to her as readily as they did weeks ago nor in the same force. Her limbs, though given a sense of power derived from living tissue, failed to strike true against wooden dummies no matter what she fielded against them. Her once ironclad will seemed to have faltered when no barrier was present to hide her….

So now here she was in her former joke once again being given a demonstration of this method that may or may not help her on such short notice now that the world seemed to demand her attention despite the presence of her royal guard. At least the slightly demented Kor'kron orc seemed to have backed off and joined her guard alongside his cohorts for whatever reason that possessed him. Chances were the blond monk was involved somehow despite his departure from the underground city, but that was a matter for another time if ever.

Burdened lids finally came to a close, hesitantly her legs were crossed, and finally her hands clasped each other in a grip that was uncomfortable in principal. "If this fails, I will take out my frustrations upon you," she mumbled lowly. A scowl instantly creased her lips when the other woman in the room only had one response to her, a soft chuckle.

The Queen of the Forsaken shook her head as her body slowly relaxed with only an echo of reluctance on her part. By conscious demand she acquiesced to the preset instructions beforehand to help guide her to… wherever it was this 'exercise' was to guide her to. At the pace of a snail's crawl her mind went blank, her breathing steadied, and her once tense hands became loose in their grip without letting go.

_Inhale. Exhale._

Nothing.

_Inhale. Exhale_.

No one ever mastered their art in the first attempt to begin with.

_Inhale_. _Exhale_.

Would be useful however to such an event existed… and she was blessed in such a case.

_Inhale_ _Exhale_.

Perhaps her time would be better spent with her training dummies…

_Inhale_. _Exhale_.

"Forget it," she all but snarled as her impatience won out. Her eyes flew upon to half heartedly glare at the monk before her… only to find herself staring into the shadows of a place she had never been before. She swiveled to the left, then to the right, and once more behind her to find herself in a void where her room once was. Even the very bed, and by proxy-… no. Nothing besides herself existed. No walls. No floors. No ceiling. No sun, moon or star to benefit her with its company in a maw of. Just her.

"What is going on?" she harshly whispered to herself as she rose up from her 'seat.' "Is this some sort of joke, monk?!" Only the chorus of her own voice echoed throughout the domain of the darkness that enveloped all but her. Her hand clenched to a fist as her teeth gritted tightly beneath a newly formed scowl…

And then that familiar, loathsome feeling that had assailed her weeks before, and manifesting itself on the day she had those monks come to her chamber, and tested her will to the point where her clenched hand trembled. "Why does this keep plaguing me?" she snarled while her demand for focus, and enforced will or iron, caused her to clamp her eyes shut. "A transformation by some human's carelessness has no bearing over me!" she reprimanded herself in the same octave as before. "What is it that is vexing me so greatly then that I had considered partaking in some silly practice?" she growled as the trembling grew ever harder to control….

Her elven ear twitched as something cool graced it in its gentle passing. Her eyes immediately flew upon and drew themselves to the source of this bizarre feeling only to be touched in the same manner as before with her face taking the full brunt of it. Out of the void a cool wind blew with such gentleness that it was haunting to her, though not in a vibe that demanded caution on her part. Amethyst eyes widened to their limits on a new sight that was brought into existence in the shapeless void that held her: A hill within a forest, the golden forest of Eversong much to her shock, dominated her view with a small figure sitting at the top. Who it was she couldn't tell, just that mane of spun gold hair gently swayed with the wind and what movement there was that couldn't be mistaken as the figure seemed to stare at a gently clouded sky of light blue.

The Queen of the Forsaken stared at the bobbing head on the hill for but a moment before crossing over to the newfound grass, earth, and foliage to reach the top to better define this… newcomer for lack of a better word. The bare feet tread upon grass. each blade sending a slight shiver coursing through her as the multitudes licked her feet in a sensation that had been all but alien to her as time progressed since her own childhood where such as sensation was commonplace. Ever so quickly she had ascended the hill and rounded past what trees or shrubbery that had clung to it, made especially so eager to get away from the void that eerily seemed to shrink to the point it was met with its own nothingness as she drew closer to the center of the hill. Curious, but not worth trying to investigate at the moment in her mind.

At long last she happened across the owner of the golden hair, a child, a little girl to be exact, sitting on an old stone sheened over by age and use. She was of High Eleven descent as made evident of the pointed ears, fair skin, and the bright blue eyes that marked her unaffected by the Sunwell's demise… yet that was not what was odd about her as Sylvanas soon picked up on. The only true marker to her suspicions that the eye could tell that made the elven child before her from peculiar from another was her set of clothes, an older set of clothes from an age long past that gave way to a newer trend as fashion and time demanded. "Child?" The little girl didn't respond as she continued to stare up at the sky and the clouds that drifted by at such a lazy pace with only a hum of no distinctive pattern on her lips. "Child?" Taking a more bold step into the girl's line of sight, she perked an eyebrow up when it became evident she was being ignored. Or…

A firm yet tentative hand reached out to press itself on the shoulder of the seemingly ignorant child before her, and it passed through much like a ghost would with a wall. Her hand instinctively clenched itself in shock before withdrawing to the body of its master and the skeptical scowl plastered upon her lips. "Interesting," was all she managed to say as she looked to the ground to gauge the differences between the two. However with no means to learn of an answer for herself, she turned to the sky, in the same direction of the child no less, in mild hopes of finding some answer or better yet a distraction to her current situation.

It took the course of two seconds to morph her scowl to a confused frown as she soon realized a detail she had missed when she gazed upon the landscape that arose from nowhere: The clouds were not clouds… per se. They were of battles between elves and trolls much like paintings she hadn't seen in years, of weddings, of adventures in lands bordering on the realm of imagination, and of families detailed with an artisan's skill. They were of so many things, and they were all involved a woman of disturbing familiarity…

Shocked eyes turned to the humming child as it dawned upon her who it was before her, but no one was there and the landscape itself…

Where lush grass, green trees, and blue skies once reigned, the grass died, the trees withered, and the skies had been blackened by a sea of storm clouds heavy with rain. Torches that never existed before burned brilliantly in a path leading into the depths of the forest much to her curiosity, and slight apprehension. "What now?" she muttered to herself as she deigned to follow it.

Her scowl slowly returned however as she descended the now ruined hill. This was not even close to how she expected things to progress. Was she somehow trapped under this exercise brought to her by these monks? Possibly. It wasn't unheard of for a beginner to take things too far by accident when dealing with an ability foreign to them in use. Without effort she crossed into the domain shadowed by the canopy of dead branches yet lit all the same by the torches planted in the ground that delved into a narrow path as dictated by the clustering trees that left no space greater than a skeleton's width. The path itself was a dirt path if her feet were unmistaken, firm but not so compact that treading upon it was a risk in her current state shoeless state unless she happened upon a jutting root the torches could not reveal. All around her the wind picked up all around her in low gusts that sent abandoned leaves touched by the session of fall as it neared winter.

"How far does this path lead?" She had no watch granted to her by a tinker's craft nor any other means to tell time, all she had to go by was the count of steps she had taken since she had entered this forest. It was a little over a hundred and counting with no end in-… Her eyes squinted as she soon spotted six torches, two for each, laid out at the mouths of diverging paths. To her left as she came upon the scene was a path as identical as the one she came upon with a greater pacing of the torches than the one that lead her here, where it went was as mysterious as clear as to what was happening to her since her arrival. The right was curved as the subtle turning of the woods and the torches were an indicator as both seemed to rise up on a slope of possibly another hill. The last path was directly in the middle with no torches beyond the initial pair, just a glowing string or red-orange caught on an outlying branch trying to be pulled into the shadows beyond the torchlight.

The Banshee Queen couldn't help but twitch a brow at that as numerous theories crossed her mind… as well as a means to chastise herself as her own hand, against her better judgment by virtue of the abnormal nature of the world as it stood, dared to reach out to touch it and even tug on it.

The response was instantaneous as a monstrous force _yanked_ back, dragging both the thread and the regretful leader of the Forsaken into the shadows, through what sounded like shattering glass after but a minor application of pressure to signify there _was_ some kind of barrier, and forcibly ejected into a world of light that was home to a strange mix between a forest of bamboo to the south, rolling plains with a sparse number of trees decorating it in between streams that coursed through it with only a few shouts of bamboo as it neared the forest, and a mountain range to the north. What truly caught her attention however was that what past beneath her airborne form was a gargantuan creature baring the resemblance of a fox of fiery red-orange fur, a front pair of paws that ended in clawed hands, and closed lids covered in black fur that lined the eye as it lazily rested its unusually wide tail behind it while it contented itself to rest… and a familiar gawking blond that was apparently her crash landing target.

_WHAM!_

"Ow…"

XVX

Clandestine meeting, Winterspring

The twitch upon the monk's face went unnoticed by all as those present were far more occupied with their appointed task. That went doubly so for the current and respective leaders of both the Cenarion Circle and the Earthen Ring.

How shocked they, the Circle, were when they received a letter addressed to Hamuul for discretion. While odd, the reasoning was fairly simple to deduce for someone like him: Fandral Staghelm was not one to be trusted to such an intriguing discovery. His disposition was not one for discussing politics with a peaceful ending in mind for anyone but his brethren, and his allies were only from his race however few there were. No, this was a task to be overseen by the only other Arch Druid the Circle had to offer with Malfurion's comatose state. He couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the implication that the monk thought he wouldn't attract his personal attention after sending a letter addressed to him.

Ah to be young and make innocent mistakes...

Musings aside, there were concerns to be had as the monk sat in a position of meditation, cloaked in the living energies of the one he admitted was housed within him since birth to unravel the mysteries of how Sylvanas was reborn for lack of a better term. His own researchers were collecting what samples they could only for them to dissipate as quickly as they were collected. It did little to help them in any fashion to learn that the samples they could retain, before vanishing, were corrosive in nature to whatever substance it touched that wasn't reinforced with the power of nature whereas such objects held the power at bay much like a shield would a dull sword. It was vexing to them to say the least.

The Earthen Ring however were not as soured as their druidic companions as the shamans were in a frenzy between reading what notes they dared to bring with them, writing notes of their own, and seemed to have a more successful method to gathering their own samples into constructs of rocks and specially crafted totems; if anyone had an idea as to what exactly resided within Naruto, it was the shamans of the Ring as they chatted amongst themselves of comparisons to other spirits and creatures of power and legend. Even if they were not to discover the true class of the being housed within the monk that did not cost him his life, at the very least they had stumbled across the ability to revive those marked by undeath. A win-win situation in any event between scholarly pursuits and aiding those with an undesired fate in their opinion.

Yet there was something to be considered now that he thought about it. While he doubted the Ring would be averse to those who were unwilling forced into the monk's position, what would their take be on those who willingly perform such a deed if the unquiet whispers of their own cogitations were true? With their numbers, a war was doubtful and would only served to hinder them and their purpose in the long run. A delegation to the birthing place of the monk was a more feasible concept, yet if this was common practice then their hopes may be for naught. And what of other groups who may come to learn of this? The Demon Hunters, essential outcasts of society by choice, may not react as kindly as others and may take a more martial approach to this problem as it were. It definitely helped no one given the loose association Demon Hunters had with one another with no known method of communication with each other; it's not like they met in a cave and used phantasmal images to represent themselves in both voice and body.

XVX

Elsewhere

In two separate corners of the world, an man with the monikers of anorexia with a great multitude of rods sticking out of his back violently sneezed while a blind folded night elf with horns and wings of a demonic, amongst a number of a hapless many that bore some similarities from blindfolds to other features at the least or most respectively, sneezed without warning.

XVX

Clandestine meeting, Winterspring

There were too many variables for the Arch Druid to consider from known creatures that stalked the world for better or worse, and he dared not try to factor in the ones he has yet to learn of lest he be given a migraine in exchange. All that could be said and done was learning what exactly lay within Naruto by the will of others, and seeing if they could replicate what had been done for the greater good of the world.

All the remained to be seen is what would happen afterwards...

XVX

Naruto's realm

As to what shocked the resurrected elf more, she couldn't say. A colossal being of unknown might housed within a living host? The fact that _somehow_ she was essentially connected to said host to a degree that enabled her to enter his mindscape by chance? Or perhaps that the monk wasn't at all fazed by at least the second part given the first he most likely contended with years prior? Her only true saving grace in all that had happened was that the amounted stress of it all was masked under a scowling face and a mildly twitching brow as she stared at the monk sitting in front of her, and occasionally glancing at the fox-like creature ignoring the both of them as it slept... with its nine tailsgrouped tightly together to mistake it as one and its strange necklace bearing a stone slab of some kind written in a language unknown to her.

"First time meditating eh?" Exasperated eyes dully shut closed to ward off the annoyance brought to her by the blond. "Just tell me what happened and how to leave," she tersely replied.

"Ah no respect," the monk morosely mumbled with a crocodile tear wiped away for personal amusement. "So how was your own mind?" he suddenly queried as he gave his full attention to her.

A pensive frown marred itself upon her features. "Come again?" Her frown deepened in puzzlement as the monk shook his head disbelievingly. "Meditation is not exactly a mystic art by any means that transports you to one dimension or another. When someone is at peace with one's self then chances are they never go far greater than the initial stage where your company is only yourself to regain focus where focus is lost, yet that is not all that happens. Some, with an attunement to the mystic arts or other such power, are likely to see events that may or may not happen for example. But those who dive deeply into one's self may come across another result that is known, what would only be known to you in thought alone turns into what you would perceive as another world entirely. In other words, you dove into your own mind, most likely by an unconscious desire to confront what troubles you."

"Absurd," Sylvanas quickly retorted. The weathered blue eyes that stared at her did nothing to curb her denial.

"Tell me then, why would an old memory from your past, albeit altered by your own perceptions at the time, come to you so suddenly?" Dark amethyst eyes widened at the mild accusation while the monk shook his head with his eyes shut in contemplation. "Or better yet, did you feel at all frightened or threatened by the sudden changes in your mind?"

"... No," she quietly admitted as her lips pursed once more in deep thought while her defiant spirit escaped her. She looked him in the eye for but a moment before dropping her gaze to let loose a sigh of worn dignity before looking at him, her appearance of astute calmness dropped to let free what truely lay beneath. "Please just tell me... what is going on with me?" Her hands feebly clenched as she awaited his response.

"I have my guesses, but they won't help you in the least." She let loose a bone tired sigh as she hung her head in defeat. "What I can tell you is that only you can truly find and solve what it is that haunts you so, and..." She raised her head enough to curiously gaze at an outstretched hand ready to be shaken. "That those who need help are always welcome to it for but the asking of it." She stared at it for what seemed to be ages. Her own hand clenched and unclenched as if it was a foreign limb suddenly attached to her without her notice. She simply stared at it as her mind went blank.

And act on its own accord as she grasped the appendage and shook it with the same strength she felt she had.

A sudden cry of a bird suddenly drew her attention to the sky above as a hawk simply floated on the thermals that seemed to exist in Naruto's personal world. "And to answer your earlier request towards leaving," the monk said suddenly before she realized it, "my personal favorite means to snap someone out of their meditation involves cymbals."

"What?" By the time she was even half way back to her head's natural setting, it was too late as the musical implements crashed through her ears and jolted her back to the physical world with a mischief maker's cackle as her parting gift. "GAH!" Whether she disturbed the raven haired monk from her own meditation or not, she didn't care as the elf fell into her bed with a pounding heart that thumped in her ears like drums and a wheezing breath attempting to calm her twitching form down.

"I hate that blond," she raggedly muttered.

XVX

Clandestine meeting, Winterspring

What was once cackling in his own mindscape turned to quiet snicker as he awoke to the real world. "Have you learned what you needed?" he asked as he cracked his neck, his back, his arms, and his legs as he rose up and stretched. "It will take time, and perhaps more outings much like these, before either of us have developed an answer. But yes, I'd say as for now we have learned what could be learned for now," a shaman pointed out as he alongside his comrades secured their belongings.

"It stands likewise answer for us as well," Hamuul calmly interjected, "for I'm afraid we weren't as successful in this endeavor as the Earthen Ring."

"Ah, another meeting then?" Naruto cheerily asked as he had rearmed himself with his staff. "If so, can it be without snow?"

"I doubt it."

"... You like torturing me with the cold, don't you?"

**A/N: Sorry for the late delay, more or less got distracted along the way by zombie games.**

**And yes to those of you who are curious, the sneezing bit was a nod to a certain author who has a distinct advantage over the rest of us... who hardly updates.**

**And now something requested from a reader quite some time ago yet I accidently kept forgetting to do it.**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**

_Success and failure,_

_two sides of the same coin._

_One prevails while the other..._

_Gets a fist to the face._

_-Naruto, Monk in training, age seventeen._

XVX

_Simple life,_

_simple vice._

_Call me dumb,_

_I still have fun._

_-Kenpachi Zaraki, death knight, age unknown_

XVX

_Unbalanced_

_Spirits rage, cities burn_

_Fishing raids, a coast upturned_

_The world is changing_

_-Thrall, shaman, age thirty_

XVX

_Problem?_

_A bomb to the head_

_Vice?_

_Buy Kaja'Cola Delight!_

_Twenty-five gold per bottle_

_Not liable for side effects_

_-Douglass Fizwheedle, hunter, age twenty-eight_


End file.
